The DRC army claims to have put down a coup attempt involving US nationals

A spokesman for the army of the Central African nation told Reuters that the mastermind of Sunday’s attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been slain and about 50 others, including three Americans, have been taken into custody.

In the capital Kinshasa, gunfire broke out at four in the morning, according to a Reuters correspondent. According to presidential spokesman Sylvain Ekenge, armed individuals stormed the building in the city center.

According to posts on X, Vital Kamerhe, a member of parliament who is expected to become speaker, had another attack at his adjacent home. Kamerhe’s spokesperson, Michel Moto Muhima, and the Japanese ambassador confirmed this.

According to Moto Muhima, the incident resulted in the deaths of two guards and one attacker. Ekenge added that one assailant was slain there.

The administration of the adjacent Republic of Congo announced in a statement that many persons were injured by a shell launched from Kinshasa that struck the city of Brazzaville. One person was taken to the hospital.

Ekenge identified Christian Malanga, a politician from Congo living in the United States, as the mastermind of the coup attempt.

“Malanga was definitively neutralized during the attack on the Palais de la Nation, a certain Aboubacar was neutralized during the attack on the residence of Vital Kamarhe [and] the others – around 50 including three American citizens – were arrested and are currently undergoing interrogation by the specialized services of the Armed Forces,” Ekenge stated to Reuters.

He said that one of the American individuals detained was Malanga’s son and that Malanga had attempted and failed a coup attempt in 2017.

A live-streamed video of the attack was released on a Facebook page purporting to be owned by Malanga.

“As militants, we are worn out. We cannot continue to deal with Tshisekedi and Kamerhe because they have committed too many foolish acts in this nation,” Malanga stated in the video, which Reuters has not independently confirmed.

In a social media statement, U.S. Ambassador Lucy Tamlyn expressed her “great concern” over rumors that US people may have been involved in the events.

“Please be assured that we will cooperate with the DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved in criminal acts,” she stated.

A security advisory alerting people to “ongoing activity by DRC security elements” and allegations of gunshots in the area had been issued earlier by the US embassy.
In a post on X, the head of the UN stability mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, vehemently denounced the incidents and pledged her support to the Congolese authorities.

Six weeks after selecting a prime minister, Tshisekedi was re-elected to a second term as president in December, but he has not yet formed a cabinet.
Tshisekedi caused a postponement of the election that was supposed to take place on Saturday, in which Kamerhe was a candidate for speaker of parliament.