The video, shared on social media platform X by Congolese journalist Sugira Mireille, depicts military trucks driving down mountainous terrain, raising dust clouds, with armed fighters on board. In the post, Mireille claimed: “Blackwater has arrived in Kisangani, ready to give their lives to earn their salaries, and to die in the Tshidingi Dingi area.”

Voices of local residents, reportedly miners, can be heard expressing astonishment as the trucks passed by, commenting on the mercenaries’ advanced weaponry. Some described them as “American fighters who have come determined.”

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The alleged deployment comes months after European mercenaries hired by Kinshasa were defeated by M23 rebels in Goma in January. At the time, the coalition captured nearly 300 of the foreign fighters, many of whom later admitted they had little understanding of the conflict.

M23’s military spokesperson, Lt. Col. Willy Ngoma, publicly warned the captured mercenaries against returning to Congolese soil. In a widely circulated video, Ngoma humiliated one mercenary by ordering him to sit in the dust with his legs crossed and hands on his head. He scolded the fighter, saying it was shameful that they were being paid around $3,000 per month while a Congolese soldier earns less than $100.

The latest appearance of alleged Blackwater mercenaries raises new questions about the DRC government’s continued reliance on foreign fighters, despite past defeats and warnings from M23 leadership.