Trump ally Prince sent men, drones to help Congo's army secure strategic town

Blackwater founder Erik Prince deployed a private security force to operate drones and help Democratic Republic of Congo's army secure the strategic city of Uvira against Rwanda-backed rebels, four people briefed on the mission said.



The AFC/M23 rebels briefly seized the city on the border with Burundi in December in a major blow to ongoing U.S. and Qatar-backed peace negotiations. They withdrew after Washington threatened to retaliate.



Prince, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and who founded the now defunct private security firm Blackwater, had been hired by the government in Kinshasa to help secure and improve tax revenue collection from Congo's vast mineral reserves.



However, the operation to help elite forces recapture Uvira from AFC/M23 rebels is the first known involvement of Prince's private security forces on the frontline in Congo, widening his role in the decades-long conflict.