Rwanda has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of sabotaging regional peace efforts by hiring mercenaries from Blackwater, a controversial U.S.-based private military company.
Rwandan Foreign Minister Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe confirmed the development during the Rwanda Convention 2025 held in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Speaking to Rwandans living in the U.S., he said:
“While we were engaged in dialogue in Washington and even back home in Rwanda, military operations were ongoing — new weapons were delivered, new attack drones, new armored vehicles, and now, new mercenaries.”
He added:
“You’ll recall Romanian mercenaries previously passed through Kigali on their way home. Now, Colombian mercenaries hired by the American company Blackwater have arrived. This is something we must continue to monitor closely.”
Reports indicate the DRC received the mercenaries late last week and deployed them to Uvira, a city now heavily militarized with government troops.
There are growing fears that major clashes could soon erupt between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group, which accuses the government of massing troops near their strongholds.
Analysts are also concerned that the new foreign mercenaries could escalate violence across the entire Great Lakes region.
Last week, President Paul Kagame warned the DRC against provoking war with Rwanda:
“We don’t have drones, but we can walk 2,000 kilometers to fight if needed. The rest is just noise. They keep saying they have drones and will attack Rwanda — we will go find them wherever they launch from.”
Blackwater, now rebranded as Constellis, has a notorious past — particularly for the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, Iraq, where its mercenaries killed 17 civilians. The incident triggered international outrage and led to long-running investigations into the use of private military contractors in war zones.
Despite the backlash, Blackwater and its affiliated firms have continued to operate globally, including in Africa.
Kinshasa turned to Colombian mercenaries after Romanian fighters were defeated in January this year when M23 captured the city of Goma, forcing them to withdraw through Rwanda.
Rwanda has repeatedly criticized the international community for remaining silent while mercenaries operate in the DRC, violating international laws banning the use of such forces in conflict.
