Congolese Forces on High Alert After Failed Coup Attempt

There is heavy military presence in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo after a coup attempt was thwarted in the very early hours of Sunday.

Speaking to the press, Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge said the DRC’s defense and security forces were able to get the situation under control, arresting the armed mutineers while they attempted to occupy the Palais de la Nation, the official residence and offices of the president.

Before taking to the president’s residence, the group attacked the home of Vital Kamerhe, the former chief of staff and a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi. The dozens of men wearing military fatigues, armed with submachine guns and rifles, got into a gunfire battle with Kamerhe’s security team and killed two guards before army reinforcements came to quell the attack.

Kamerhe, a federal legislator, is widely expected to emerge as President of the National Assembly in coming weeks, although the vote has been delayed due to political in-fighting. Recounting the ordeal in a post on X, his wife Hamida Kamerhe said their positions were scouted by the attackers with drones and, “our plot resembled a shooting range: hundreds of shell casings littered the ground, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.”

The coup plotters were rounded up while attempting to take over the president’s residence, with Ekenge announcing that the group also included at least three American citizens. Christian Malanga, the leader of the assailants, was killed while trying to resist arrest. His son was one of the American citizens who were arrested.

A former Congolese military captain, Malanga founded the opposition party, United Congolese Party (UCP), and he lived a significant portion of his life in the U.S. His family secured political asylum when he was a child and, after many years in the DRC, he returned to the U.S. Prior to that, he contested for a parliamentary seat and a stint in jail after he was detained by the administration of former President Joseph Kabila.

Malanga was critical of the Congo’s government, stating that Tshisekedi and allies like Kamerhe were failing the country woefully. Clips from a Facebook livestream populated social media, showing Malanga and his accomplices in their failed coup attempt, with his son already referring to him as president across the videos.

🇨🇩 Christian Malanga entrain d’implorer Dieu lors de l’attaque de ce matin au palais de la Nation : « Dieu tu nous a pas menti, Nous t'implorons Dieu, le Zaïre est là. Dieu, tu es un miséricordieux, écoute nos pleures » pic.twitter.com/yeRXUmX4Fb

— The Voice Of Congo (@VoiceOfCongo) May 19, 2024

Kamerhe’s party, Union for the Congolese Nation (UNC), has called for a thorough investigation of the coup attempt. In a supportive statement, the American ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamyln stated in an X post that the U.S., “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.”

The failed coup attempt comes amidst armed conflict between the DRC army and insurgent M23 rebels, especially in the eastern parts of the country. The mineral-rich country has been dealing with armed conflicts over its natural resources, which has strained its relationship with neighboring Rwanda and is set to be locked in a legal battle with tech giant Apple.