Congo Government Denies Coup Allegations

The government of Congo-Brazzaville has firmly denied recent allegations of a coup attempt against President Denis Nguesso. Nguesso, who is 78 years old, has held the country's leadership in central Africa for a total of 38 years. He initially assumed the presidency in 1979, served until 1992, made a comeback in 1997 after a civil war, and has remained in power ever since.

A surge of coup attempts has been witnessed across Africa in recent months, with the most recent one occurring in Gabon, where the military seized control in January.

These coup allegations emerged on social media, raising suspicions of a coordinated effort by the military to oust the 79-year-old leader from his position. Notably, President Nguesso was in New York at the time of these rumors, participating in the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In response to these accusations, Information Minister Thierry Moungalla used X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday to emphatically dismiss them, declaring, "The government unequivocally refutes the dissemination of false information. We want to assure the public of the current state of tranquility and urge everyone to continue their daily activities calmly."

The government's official website also released a statement reaffirming its rejection of any reports concerning an attempted coup.

In recent months, there has been a notable increase in coup d'états across the African continent, with the most recent one occurring in neighboring Gabon, where military forces assumed control in August.

Denis Nguesso originally rose to the presidency of this oil-rich Central African nation through a military coup in 1979. Although he faced a temporary setback in 1992 when he lost Congo's initial multi-party elections, he later regained power in 1997 following a period of civil conflict.