Over 300 ex-Salvadoran military personnel hired as mercenaries in Congo, UN report reveals

A United Nations report has uncovered that approximately 300 Salvadoran citizens, primarily former police and military personnel, have been recruited as mercenaries to fight in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since July 2025. The official document states that this foreign contingent directly supports the Congolese army in frontline combat operations.

Initially tasked with logistical assistance in Kisangani, the escalating violence has led to the deployment of Salvadoran personnel in high-intensity conflict zones in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Tanganyika. Key locations include Walikale, Baraka, and Kalemie. The investigation by UN experts points to the Salvadoran company Importaciones de Productos Americanos (IMPROA S.A. de C.V.) as the corporate intermediary for recruitment. This firm, registered to two retired officers, facilitated annual contracts promising a monthly salary of $4,225.

However, the reality documented by the UN starkly contrasts with the offered conditions. Mercenaries have faced recurrent delays and non-payment of salaries. Multiple recruits have returned to El Salvador after contracting malaria and requiring urgent medical attention. The report includes images of improvised camps and rudimentary bunkers. The Salvadoran government has distanced itself from the situation, informing the UN Group of Experts that it had no knowledge of or authorization for the recruitment of its nationals for military purposes in Africa.

The deployment of private military contractors in the DRC coincides with the weakening of the official UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) and the Congolese army's struggle to contain the March 23 Movement (M23). This rebel group, predominantly Tutsi and reportedly backed by Rwanda, captured strategic cities like Goma and Bukavu in early 2025, consolidating its control in the east. The privatization of warfare raises international alarm due to the lack of accountability for these actors, who operate outside international legal frameworks, amid accusations against the M23 of massacres and forced recruitment of minors in a region rich in minerals.