Erik Prince's Vectus Global unit hit by ambush in eastern Congo, former UFC star wounded
A Vectus Global team led by Erik Prince was ambushed in South Kivu, eastern Congo, killing and injuring about 20 people, including former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy.
Mid-September saw an ambush on a Vectus Global convoy operating in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing and wounding around 20 people. Among the dead were at least seven Congolese civilians and a former New Zealand Special Forces operative; the injured included former UFC fighter and ex-Green Beret Tim Kennedy and another foreign contractor. Sources close to the Congolese government and Prince's firm attribute the attack to Rwandan forces supporting the M23 rebels, possibly after they traced a surveillance drone used by Vectus.
The incident marks the first reported casualties for Prince's team in Congo, where they have previously helped secure the city of Uvira. Kennedy, who suffered three leg wounds, is recovering at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Neither the Congolese nor Rwandan authorities, nor the M23 group, have responded to inquiries about the attack.
Why it matters
The ambush highlights the expanding role of a US private security firm in Congo's volatile conflict and the risks faced by foreign contractors.
In this story
