The DRC-Erik Prince agreement, first broken by Reuters, was reached before a major rebel offensive in early 2025. It centres on tightening tax collection and cracking down on cross-border smuggling – particularly in the copper and cobalt-rich south. Prince’s advisers are expected to focus on these areas, steering clear of the eastern Kivu regions destabilised by M23 rebels.

This initiative forms part of broader, ongoing talks between Kinshasa and Washington about a minerals-for-security arrangement. However, the US has yet to clarify what role, if any, it would play on the ground. Prince’s involvement could prove sensitive: while his remit is ostensibly limited to tax and logistics, his long history with private military operations raises questions about the blurred lines between security and state functions in fragile regions.

Timeline of Erik Prince in the Democratic Republic Congo

Prince is no stranger to the DRC. Since at least 2015, firms linked to him have tried to gain a foothold in the country’s mining logistics and transport sectors. In 2023, the UN accused him of planning to deploy thousands of Latin American mercenaries to North Kivu to protect mines and push back rebels – an operation that ultimately fizzled, but raised alarms over arms embargo violations and potential corruption.

His track record elsewhere adds to the controversy. Prince founded Blackwater in 1997, turning it into the largest US private military contractor, until the 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad – when Blackwater operatives killed 17 civilians – brought the company global infamy. Though several employees were later convicted, US President Donald Trump pardoned them in 2020. After selling Blackwater in 2010, Prince moved to the UAE, where he helped set up a foreign mercenary force and launched Reflex Responses, a private security company.

Prince later founded Frontier Services Group (FSG) in 2014, a logistics firm backed by Chinese state investment. FSG operated across Africa, including in the DRC, supporting Chinese commercial interests. In 2023, it was sanctioned by the US for allegedly helping train Chinese military pilots, a charge the company denied.

Despite sanctions and scrutiny, Prince has remained active in Africa, often focusing on securing extractive industries in volatile areas. His re-entry into the DRC underscores the continued appeal – and risk – of outsourcing state functions to private operators in fragile states awash with critical minerals.

2015: Early business activities

Companies controlled by Erik Prince began operating in the DRC, primarily in logistics and trucking, with ambitions to enter the minerals sector.

2017: Gold refinery joint venture

A new company, Congo Gold Raffinerie (CGR), was established in Bukavu, eastern DRC. The venture linked a senior employee of Prince’s Frontier Services Group (FSG) with associates of former president Joseph Kabila and a reported gold smuggler. FSG, founded by Prince, did not directly hold shares, but its senior manager Liu Zhigang was the sole administrator of Global Investment Congo (GIC), the main shareholder of CGR.

This arrangement raised concerns about the merging of powerful interests in DRC’s gold sector during the political transition.

2023: Proposed security contractor deployment

The UN linked Erik Prince to a proposed deal in North Kivu, DRC. The plan involved deploying over 2,000 mercenaries from Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina to secure mining areas and halt rebel advances. The deal was reportedly brokered between the UAE and the DRC, but did not result in a formal agreement.

Prince also suggested deploying thousands of contractors to eastern Congo during negotiations with the Kinshasa government, but talks did not culminate in a contract.

January 2025: Context of rebel activity

Before a major offensive by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, which led to the capture of eastern Congo’s two largest cities, Goma and Bukavu, Prince’s discussions with the DRC government were ongoing regarding mineral security.

April 2025: Minerals security deal finalised

Erik Prince reached an agreement with the DRC government to help secure and tax the country’s vast mineral wealth, particularly in the copper-rich Katanga province. The deal aims to increase state revenue from mining, which suffers from smuggling and corruption.

The first phase involves deploying advisors and technical experts to safeguard mines and improve tax collection, with plans to expand as results are achieved. Details on the number and deployment locations of advisors are pending.

This agreement is part of broader discussions between the DRC and the US about critical minerals partnerships, following Congo’s proposal of a minerals-for-security deal with the Trump administration.