Jolyon@jolyon

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Tim Kennedy Vectus Global Congo ambush

Congo's government needed help holding towns and keeping its mining zones under control as it fought the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion in the east, so it turned to Erik Prince's private security company, Vectus Global. Tim Kennedy was on that payroll. Former UFC fighter, yes, but also a retired U.S. Green Beret. Mid-September, the Vectus team he was traveling with got ambushed in South Kivu. Around 20 people ended up killed or wounded, and the toll included a former member of New Zealand special forces plus no fewer than seven Congolese soldiers. Kennedy himself was hit three times in the leg. What sources flagged afterward was the precision of the strike. It looked like more than ordinary local rebels could pull off, which is why Rwandan forces were suspected of being involved. The point being: this wasn't some ex-UFC guy who happened to turn up in Congo. Kennedy was there as part of a private military operation backing the Congolese government's war in the east.

2h

Jolyon@jolyon

Follow

Tim Kennedy Vectus Global Congo ambush

Congo's government needed help holding towns and keeping its mining zones under control as it fought the Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion in the east, so it turned to Erik Prince's private security company, Vectus Global. Tim Kennedy was on that payroll. Former UFC fighter, yes, but also a retired U.S. Green Beret. Mid-September, the Vectus team he was traveling with got ambushed in South Kivu. Around 20 people ended up killed or wounded, and the toll included a former member of New Zealand special forces plus no fewer than seven Congolese soldiers. Kennedy himself was hit three times in the leg. What sources flagged afterward was the precision of the strike. It looked like more than ordinary local rebels could pull off, which is why Rwandan forces were suspected of being involved. The point being: this wasn't some ex-UFC guy who happened to turn up in Congo. Kennedy was there as part of a private military operation backing the Congolese government's war in the east.

2h