American mercenary Erik Price and Israeli soldiers operated with Congolese special forces battalions. Congo has been fighting against multiple rebel groups.
According to Reuters, the Israeli advisors’ role is limited to training, and Erik Prince is providing drone support. The outlet reports that the assistance helped Congo take a city back from two rebel groups, the Congo River Alliance (AFC) and the March 23 Movement (M23).
A senior Congolese defense official explained that Kinshasa “needed help recapturing Uvira and pulled in every resource they could. They added that the presence of Americans on the frontlines is keeping the AFC and M23 from launching new attacks.
Prince’s firm is also helping to secure Kinshasa and improve tax revenue collection. Sources told Reuters that Americans have been pulled off the frontlines, but could return.
Prince is a notorious American mercenary. His first firm, Blackwater, is responsible for the Nisour Square massacre, which left 17 Iraqis dead. Prince later rebranded and sold Blackwater. He is a long-time ally of the US president, and the men responsible for murdering the Iraqi civilians were ultimately pardoned by Trump during his first term.
However, Prince has formed other private security firms that have conducted operations around the globe. His company, Vectus Global, has a contract with the Haitian government to conduct anti-drone operations.
Several civilians have been killed by drones in Haiti, including eight children at a birthday party. Although it’s unclear if those strikes were conducted by Prince or the US-intalled in Port-au-Prince.
