20+ Including Ex UFC Fighter Tim Kennedy, others Injured or Killed In Africa Ambush Of Blackwater Founder Erik Prince's Mercenaries

Tim Kennedy 47-year-old former UFC middleweight and U.S. Army Green Beret, was reportedly shot three times in the leg during an ambush on September 17, 2026, in the South Kivu province of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC). He was part of a three-man private military contracting team working for Vectus Global, the security firm led by Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater.

Sources reportedly suggest the attack may have been carried out by Rwandan forces backing the M23 rebels, potentially after tracking a surveillance drone. The team was conducting a "ground-clearing operation" to protect mining revenues, combat smuggling, and collect taxes for the Congolese government, part of a US$700 million agreement between Prince and Kinshasa.

The ambush resulted in approximately 20 dead or wounded, including: Justin Conaglen, a former New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) lance corporal and at least seven Congolese nationals and local villagers who were killed; and one unnamed foreign contractor, who was wounded.

Kennedy underwent an eight-hour evacuation before being medevaced to the U.S. Following the hasty extraction of casualties from the danger zone, Kennedy was medically evacuated out of Africa. He was flown back to the United States and admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington, D.C., for treatment.

Neither Kennedy, Prince, nor the Pentagon has issued an official public confirmation or statement.

Kennedy was working as a contractor for Vectus Global, a private security and logistics firm founded by Prince (the founder of the controversial private military company Blackwater).

Prince's forces and contractors have been operating in parts of Africa, including supporting Congolese military operations and deploying tactical assets, such as drones, to push back rebel advances.

The region has been a volatile hotspot experiencing intense fighting between Congolese government forces and the M23 rebel group which has faced accusations of receiving support from neighboring Rwanda.