Exclusive: As resource talks move forward, Congo turns over Americans imprisoned for an attempted coup

The Congolese presidency informed Reuters on Tuesday that three American nationals imprisoned in connection with a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were released into U.S. custody after high-level security and mining agreements between the two nations.

After their sentences were commuted last week so they could serve their time at home, the Americans were turned over to U.S. authorities, according to the president.

The agreement to turn over the Americans was completed when Massad Boulos, the senior Africa adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, visited Congo to meet with President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa.

Their release coincides with escalating Washington-Kinshasa negotiations. After Congo presented the Trump administration with a minerals-for-security proposal last month, the State Department told Reuters that the United States is willing to look into important minerals agreements.

Tshisekedi was urged to free the Americans by Trump’s special envoy for hostage response prior to the trip.

According to Tina Salama, Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, “this demonstrates that the collaboration and cooperation between the two states is growing stronger and stronger.”

A request for comment was not answered by the White House. “Bringing Americans home is a top priority for the administration,” the State Department stated in an email.

According to Kinshasa lobbyist Joseph Szlavik-Soto, the Congolese have also consented to cover the costs of the damage inflicted by demonstrators who stormed the U.S. embassy and other missions earlier this year.

State Department officials refused to comment on the situation.

Fighting in the east has sparked fears of a wider regional conflict, and Congo wants the United States to play a larger role in safeguarding the war-torn nation.

Since the M23 rebels, who are supported by Rwanda, quickly advanced and took control of the two biggest eastern cities in January, the violence has intensified.

Currently used primarily by China and its mining corporations, Congo’s minerals are used in electric automobiles and mobile phones, and Washington wants to get more access to them.

According to a former senior defense official, the Trump administration has not yet disclosed how it will offer security, but one possibility is to send troops or contractors to train Congolese forces.

“I hope it may function in a way that upholds human rights and promotes stability over the long run in this crucial area. “This will be extremely difficult in the context of the DRC,” the official stated.

A military court in the Congo sentenced the Americans and 37 other defendants to death in September.

In May of last year, Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician resident in the United States, organized the coup attempt. One of the Americans detained was his 22-year-old son.

While in Congo with a friend from high school, Marcel Malanga claimed during the trial that his father had threatened to murder them if they disobeyed him. His mother said the family needed time and did not want to comment in a Facebook posting.