Congo Arrests 3 Americans in Failed Coup

One is the son of opposition leader Christian Malanga, who was killed
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 20, 2024 9:35 AM CDT
Congo: 3 Americans Among Those Arrested in Failed Coup
Congolese security forces secure the streets of Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Sunday.   (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo said it arrested several foreigners in a foiled coup attempt early Sunday, following attacks on the presidential palace and the residence of a close ally of Congo's president that left three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa. At first, local media identified the armed men as Congolese soldiers, but they then reported the men were linked to self-exiled opposition figure Christian Malanga, who later posted a video on Facebook threatening President Felix Tshisekedi. Malanga was killed at the presidential palace after he resisted arrest by guards, Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge said. Among the perpetrators were three Americans, including the son of Malanga, Ekenge later told the AP.

Early Sunday, Malanga appeared in a livestreamed video at the presidential palace surrounded by several people in military uniform and said: "Felix, you're out. We are coming for you." On his website, the opposition leader's group—the United Congolese Party (UCP)—is described as "a grassroots platform that unifies the Congolese diaspora around the world opposing the current Congolese dictatorship." Tshisekedi hasn't yet addressed the public about Sunday's events. The United States Embassy in Congo issued a security alert Sunday, urging caution after "reports of gunfire."

(More Democratic Republic of Congo stories.)

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