On Sunday morning, the Congolese military announced that it had successfully thwarted a coup attempt, apprehending several individuals, including foreign nationals, responsible for the attacks on the presidential palace and the home of a key presidential ally in Kinshasa.
The armed men were stopped during their attack on the residence of a Federal Lawmaker, Vital Kamerhe, who is a candidate for Speaker of the National Assembly. He lives in Kinshasa, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.
The spokesperson for Kamerhe, Michel Moto Muhima, the politician’s security guards successfully repelled the armed attackers but unfortunately the lives of two police officers were lost in the shootout that started as early as 4:30am.
Initial reports by local media suggested that the armed men were members of the Congolese military, but subsequent updates revealed that they were actually affiliated with Christian Malanga, a self-exiled opposition figure, who later released a video on Facebook vowing to take action against President Felix Tshisekedi. Christian Malanga was killed at the presidential palace after resisting arrest, said Congolese army spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge.
Ekenge also said on state television that the thwarted coup was “nipped in the bud”. Notably, among the perpetrators of the coup were three Americans, including the son of Malanga.
This also came amid a crisis gripping President Tshisekedi’s ruling party over an election for the parliament’s leadership, which was supposed to be held Saturday but was postponed.
