Americans took part in a thwarted deadly coup attempt, according to DR Congo's military.
An attempted coup to overtake the residency of Congolese politician Vital Kamerhe and the presidential palace in the DR Congo was led by opposition leader Christian Malanga, according to army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge. It was discovered that Malanga is also a US citizen, and he was killed in a gunfight between armed insurgents and the presidential guards.
According to Ekenge, Malanga's son Marcel, another American, was among those who were arrested. The army spokesman mentioned other American citizens involved in the failed coup, namely Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Patrick Ducey, and Taylor Thomson. He clarified that Ducey and Thomson are actually the same person.
Videos posted on social media, yet to be verified by CNN, showed a man with a bloody face being detained by Congolese military forces.
The US ambassador to the DR Congo, Lucy Tamlyn, expressed her shock regarding the attempted coup on social media, saying that her country would cooperate with the DRC authorities in their investigation into this matter, including holding accountable any US citizens involved in criminal activities.
It is unclear if President Felix Tshisekedi was present during the attack on the presidential palace.
Ekenge informed CNN that this was the second coup attempt conducted by the now-deceased Malanga, who was a former military veteran. The first failed attempt occurred in 2017, but no details were provided.
Malanga, aged 41, lived in exile in the US and headed the United Congolese Party, an "opposition political party-in-exile." In a video posted on his Facebook page earlier that day, he could be seen flanked by his son and other men with military fatigues, criticizing President Tshisekedi's government and Kamerhe for their actions.
The DR Congo government published a statement praising the "prompt response" of their security forces in quashing the coup attempt, saying that two police officers were killed instantly at Kamerhe's residence.
The DR Congo is one of the five poorest countries in the world, despite its abundant mineral resources. The country is also facing issues with militia groups that have perpetrated deadly attacks against civilians in their pursuit for territory and dominance over the nation's natural resources.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been plagued by a string of coups in recent months, with the most recent one occurring in August 2021 in Gabon, the neighboring country of the DR Congo.
The African Union denounced the failed coup attempt in the DR Congo and praised the swift action taken by the country's security forces to regain control.
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The failed coup attempt in the DR Congo involved the involvement of several American citizens, including Malanga's son Marcel and others named as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Patrick Ducey, and Taylor Thomson. The African Union condemned this incident and commended the DR Congo's swift response, highlighting the ongoing instability in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the DR Congo is located, and neighboring countries like Gabon have recently experienced coup attempts.
Source: edition.cnn.com
