达喀尔，10月9日——据接近政府及该公司的人士称，9月中旬，黑水公司创始人埃里克·普林斯的部队在刚果民主共和国东部遭遇敌方伏击，遭受重大战场损失，至少20人伤亡，其中包括一名广受欢迎的UFC前选手。
DAKAR, Oct 9 - Blackwater founder Erik Prince's forces suffered a major battlefield loss in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-September when enemy forces ambushed them, killing and wounding at least 20 people, including a popular former UFC fighter, sources close to the government and his company said.
此次前线冲突表明，作为美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的盟友与支持者，普林斯通过其公司Vectus Global在刚果的角色已得到扩大。该公司也在海地及非洲其他地区开展业务，提供咨询和安全服务，此前曾协助刚果军队在南基伍省夺回乌维拉市，以对抗控制着东部大片地区的卢旺达支持的反叛武装。
The frontline clash shows how Prince, an ally and supporter of US President Donald Trump, has taken on an expanded role in Congo through his company Vectus Global. The company, which also operates in Haiti and other parts of Africa, provides consulting and security services and previously helped Congo’s army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu against Rwanda-backed rebels who control swathes of the east.
本周早些时候，一名经验丰富的特种部队行动人员在自己的播客中透露，美国前“绿色贝雷帽”成员兼终极格斗冠军赛选手蒂姆·肯尼迪在刚果受伤。普林斯部队的具体参与情况以及伤亡人数此前并未被报道。
A veteran special operator reported on his podcast earlier this week that former US Green Beret and Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant Tim Kennedy was injured in Congo. The involvement of Prince's forces and the number of casualties have not previously been reported.
两名与刚果政府合作的消息人士称，9月17日发生在南基伍省的袭击造成约20人伤亡。遇难者中包括至少7名刚果人以及一名新西兰特种部队前成员，伤者中则有肯尼迪和另一名外国承包商。
The attack in South Kivu on September 17 left about 20 dead and wounded, two sources working with Congo's government said. The dead included at least seven Congolese and a former member of New Zealand's Special Forces, while the wounded included Kennedy and another foreign contractor, the sources said.
Vectus Global的一名代表拒绝置评。据一名直接了解此次行动的消息人士称，该公司此前在刚果从未遭受过人员伤亡。
A Vectus Global representative declined to comment. The company has not previously suffered casualties in Congo, a source with direct knowledge of the operation said.
一名为刚果政府工作的消息人士称，支持M23反叛武装的卢旺达部队可能通过追踪用于监视行动的无人机，出其不意地找到了他们的藏身之处。刚果和卢旺达政府以及M23的发言人尚未立即回应置评请求。
One of the sources who works for Congo's government said that Rwandan forces backing the M23 rebels may have surprised them by tracking a drone used for surveillance operations to their location. Spokespeople for the Congolese and Rwandan governments and for the M23 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
据三名消息人士称，前综合格斗选手肯尼迪在袭击中腿部中三枪，但幸免于难，目前正在华盛顿郊区的沃尔特·里德国家军事医疗中心接受治疗。
Kennedy, the former mixed martial arts fighter, survived the attack with three gunshot wounds to the leg, three sources said, and is being treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the suburbs of Washington.
肯尼迪拥有一个广受欢迎的播客频道，并在社交媒体上拥有数百万粉丝。特朗普是UFC的粉丝，今年还在白宫举办过比赛。
Kennedy has a popular podcast channel and millions of followers on social media. Trump is a fan of UFC, hosting fights at the White House this year.
美国国务院和沃尔特·里德医疗中心均拒绝发表评论。肯尼迪的父母也未回应置评请求。
The US State Department and Walter Reed declined to comment. Kennedy's parents did not respond to requests for comment.
一名刚果安全部门的消息人士称，此次袭击造成约20人伤亡，并补充说，遇难者中很可能包括村民。路透社至少采访了10名对此次袭击有直接了解或已获知事件结果的消息人士。
A Congolese security source, who said some 20 people were wounded and killed in the attack, added that villagers were likely among the casualties as well. Reuters spoke to at least 10 sources either with direct knowledge of the attack or briefed on the outcome.
王子在刚果冲突中扮演了更广泛的角色。王子最初在刚果的任务是确保并改善该国庞大矿产资源的税收征收工作。这些资源在过去几十年里遭到掠夺，加剧了东部地区持续不断的冲突。
PRINCE TOOK EXPANDED ROLE IN CONGO'S CONFLICT Prince's initial mandate in Congo was to secure and improve revenue collection from the country's vast mineral reserves, which have been plundered for decades, fuelling relentless conflict in the east.
但今年1月和2月初，在华盛顿协助促成卢旺达支持的叛军从这座战略要地撤军后，他的部队被派往乌维拉。王子在刚果部队的规模尚不清楚。
But in January and early February, his forces deployed to Uvira after Washington helped broker a deal for Rwandan-backed rebels to withdraw from the strategic town. The size of Prince's forces in Congo is unclear.
一名对此次袭击有直接了解的消息人士称，袭击发生时，Vectus团队正在不同地点之间转移，而此次伏击的周密程度表明卢旺达部队可能参与其中。
One of the sources with direct knowledge of the attack said the Vectus team was travelling between locations when the ambush took place and its sophistication suggested Rwandan forces were involved.
“这再次凸显了恢复刚果（金）主权的重要性。目前那里是一个极其危险的地方，”该消息人士说。另外两名消息人士称，此次伏击是由卢旺达军队实施的。
"It reinforces the need for DRC sovereignty to be restored. It's an incredibly dangerous place right now," the source said. Two other sources said the ambush was carried out by the Rwandan military.
王子是现已解散的私营军事公司“黑水”的创始人，该公司部分成员因杀害伊拉克平民而在2020年获得赦免。
Prince is the founder of now-defunct private military firm Blackwater, some of whose members were pardoned in 2020 for killing Iraqi civilians.
美国国务院表示，其与王子在刚果没有任何合同，不过美国官员称，他们计划与海地的Vectus Global公司更密切地合作。
The State Department has said it does not have any contracts with Prince in Congo, though US officials have said they plan to work more closely with Vectus Global in Haiti.
由卢旺达支持的叛军从乌维拉撤出的协议，是特朗普政府为结束刚果东部冲突而促成的更广泛协议的一部分。
The deal for Rwandan-backed rebels to withdraw from Uvira was part of wider agreements brokered by the Trump administration to try to end the conflict in eastern Congo.