Belgium rejected Erik Prince’s requests to obtain authorization to export Belgian arms and ammunition directly to the DRC and refused the request for diplomatic assistance to recover surveillance drones seized by Dutch customs.
The Meeting in Brussels
In January 2026, Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, met with Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, a senior Belgian diplomat in charge of African affairs, at the residence of the United States Ambassador to Belgium, according to Africa Intelligence. During this private diplomatic meeting, Prince made two separate requests to support his ongoing operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to The New York Times:
Recovery of Drones Seized by Dutch Customs
Belgium gave a categorical refusal to Prince’s request for diplomatic intercession. Indeed, Dutch customs intercepted and physically detained tactical surveillance drones belonging to Prince, as this equipment lacked the required legal authorizations to cross European Union borders. Facing this stalemate, Prince attempted to activate political levers by appealing to Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, senior Belgian diplomat and Director General of Bilateral Affairs (in charge of African dossiers), in the hope that he would intervene with the Dutch authorities. The Belgian authorities refused any assistance or diplomatic intervention, choosing not to interfere with the strict enforcement of customs regulations and export controls on sensitive equipment by a partner state.
The Request to Export Belgian Arms and Ammunition
Erik Prince requested the Belgian government to obtain an official export license for the shipment of weapons manufactured by a Belgian defense company. The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused the export authorization, in compliance with strict European controls on arms exports to active conflict zones.
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