News reports are surfacing about killed and wounded personnel with a security firm (Vectus Global) owned by Erik Prince (Wikipedia) who were targeted by M23 (and possibly) Rwanda military fighters in September 2026. According to multiple news sources three ‘Westerners’ and several Congo fighters were killed or wounded; totaling about 20 casualties.
The March 23 Movement (M23) is a predominantly ethnic Tutsi armed rebel organization operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Established in 2012 by former Congolese soldiers, the organization takes its name from a March 23, 2009, peace agreement that its founders claimed the Congolese government failed to implement. M23 was militarily defeated in 2013 but resumed its insurgency in late 2021.
The M23 receives significant support from Rwanda and Rwanda SOF may be operating with M23 in Congo. The movement claims it is defending Congo Tutsi communities from the Congolese government forces. In 2025, M23 captured Goma and Bakavu, two of eastern Cong’s most important cities.
Vectus Global was operating in support of the government of the DRC and likely working in coordination with the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC). The PMC was contracted in $700 million contract to protect mining revenues, combat mineral smuggling, improve tax collection for the DRC government, and assist in the military campaign against M23. The PMC is also active in other African countries as well as in Haiti.
Prince is the founder of the now-defunct private military firm Blackwater that was established in 1997 (or 1996). It initially operated as a firearms and tactical training company before expanding into private military and security contracting . The firm provided services to the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). The company underwent several name changes, reorganizations, and ownership transitions. Its principal corporate successors were Blackwater Worldwide, Xe Services, Academi, and Constellis.
Tim Kennedy, a U.S. Special Forces soldier who served with the 7th Special Forces Group and reportedly is a current MSG with the Maryland Army National Guard 19th Special Forces company was shot three times in the leg and evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland. Kennedy was a former UFC martial arts fighter, book author, podcaster, and well-known ‘personality’ in the SOF community. He was likely evacuated via an air ambulance service via Burundi and Johannesburg, South Africa similar to Global Rescue, AMREF Flying Doctors, or International SOS to an airport in Maryland. Veterans are sometimes eligible for medical care at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center through the VA Community Care Referral program or through coordination with regional VA hospitals.. It is not usual for members of the 19th or 20th Special Forces Groups (NG) to work contracts overseas for DoD, DoS, CIA, or other government agencies. Nor is it unusual for them to work overseas in conflict areas for private military companies (PMCs).
Justin Conaglen, a New Zealand Special Air Service veteran, was reported to be killed in the DRC, possibly in the same engagement as Kennedy; although the details are still unclear. Conaglen had just recently left the SAS on leave in March and officially left the armed forces in August. He was known as a superb athlete.
A third ‘westerner’ was wounded in September as well. No further information is available on this person although some social media posts are speculating that he was also a former member of a U.S. SOF unit.
Drones in the Congo. There are unconfirmed reports that the Prince PMC is using drones for surveillance and possibly attacks on M23 positions. The use of drone in conflicts in Africa is becoming widespread. While the drones provide a significant advantage to the side using them, the use of the drones could reveal information through various technical means or surveillance techniques that can be used against the drone user. In some cases, the launch site of the drones can be determined which can lead to a drone attack or some other type of military action.
Critical Minerals. Congo contains significant deposits of Zoltan tin, tungsten, niobium, lithium, and gold as well as other strategically important minerals. These minerals are strategically significant because they support mineral supply chains important for global electronics, manufacturing, aerospace, and defense industries. The mining revenues provide armed groups with an important source of revenue. Critical minerals are a strategic concern of the United States; China has managed to gain a choke hold on the mining, processing, and sale of strategic critical minerals (SOF News.
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Map: M23 controlled and contested areas in DRC (map by ChatGPT). Various news sources such as Critical Threats, IPIS, Wikipedia, and others were used to create this map.
