He noted that he hopes Rwanda will not again be requested to facilitate the repatriation of mercenaries, as was the case with the Romanian mercenaries who suffered a humiliating defeat earlier this year.
His comments came in response to a social media post by Jacquemain Shabani Lukoo Bihango, the DRC's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Security, Decentralisation, and Customary Affairs, who appeared to confirm and even boast about the deployment of foreign mercenaries by a private security firm linked to former U.S. Navy SEAL officer Erik Prince.
In a post shared on X on Monday, Shabani shared an image of ocean water with the caption 'Blackwater' alongside the DRC flag. The firm associated with Erik Prince has been widely reported to provide mercenaries to support the Congolese army, including guarding strategic mineral sites and fighting against the M23 rebels.
Reacting to the post, Nduhungirehe said it was 'only in DRC' that a senior government official could publicly brag about the deployment of mercenaries, despite international law prohibiting the practice under the 1977 OAU/AU Convention and the 1989 United Nations Convention.
He recalled that in late January 2025, more than 280 Romanian mercenaries fighting alongside the Congolese army in Goma were routed by M23 rebels and later granted safe passage through Kigali before flying back to Europe.
'Following the humiliating defeat of Romanian mercenaries in Goma… the Government of DRC has this time hired Colombian mercenaries through Erik Prince's private security firm, once known as Blackwater,' Nduhungirehe said.
The minister stressed that Congo's continued reliance on mercenaries undermines peace efforts, running against the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Declaration of Principles, which were intended to help the DRC achieve lasting stability.
'And I hope that Rwanda will not again be requested to facilitate the repatriation of another bunch of mercenaries," he concluded.
The exchange comes amid growing fears of renewed escalation in eastern Congo, where M23 accuses the Congolese army and its allied forces and militias of targeting civilians in the eastern DRC.
IGIHE
