一份新报告发现，美国私人安保承包商埃里克·普林斯的部队上个月在刚果民主共和国战场上遭受重大损失，这引发了人们对其在该国有争议行动的质疑。
The forces of US private security contractor Erik Prince suffered major battlefield losses in DR Congo last month, a new report found, calling into question his controversial firm’s actions in the country.
普林斯的前公司黑水公司的雇员曾在2007年伊拉克发动平民大屠杀，他一直专注于在中非国家扩大自己的影响力 — — 该国政府军正在与卢旺达支持的M23叛军作战 — — 以讨好美国总统唐纳德·特朗普。
Prince, employees of whose previous company Blackwater carried out a civilian massacre in Iraq in 2007, has focused on expanding his presence in the central African nation — where the army is fighting Rwanda-backed M23 rebels — to curry favor with US President Donald Trump.
刚果民主共和国一直在寻求加速与华盛顿的战略矿业伙伴关系的实施，而美国正试图与中国在非洲争夺关键矿产的获取权。然而，不安全因素仍然是该国面临的主要挑战。
DR Congo has sought to speed up the implementation of a strategic mining partnership with Washington, which is looking to rival China’s access to critical minerals in Africa. However, insecurity remains a major challenge in the country.
普林斯的部队已被部署以保障富矿区域安全并遏制走私，以便为投资者提供进入冲突地区的便利通道。刚果民主共和国是全球最大的钴生产国，钴是电子产品的关键组成部分，该国已根据该协议获得了美国投资，并希望吸引更多西方资金。
Prince’s forces have been deployed to secure mineral-rich areas and curb smuggling to provide investor-friendly access to conflict-hit areas. DR Congo, the world’s largest producer of cobalt, a key component in electronics, has already received US investment under the agreement and is looking to attract more Western funds. — Jeronimo Gonzalez and Alexis Akwagyiram