American citizens appear to be part of a group detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo for their alleged involvement in a failed coup attempt, authorities in the African country announced Sunday.
The arrests came after a deadly shooting near the home of a government official in Kinshasa, the capital, that killed three people. The spokesperson for the Congolese army, Brigadier General. General Sylvain Ekenge said the coup, organized by both Congolese and foreigners, was quickly foiled by national security forces.
The US ambassador to the country, Lucy Tamlyn, said on X that she had been informed of the alleged involvement of US citizens and said the embassy was cooperating with the Congolese government.
“I am shocked by the events of this morning and very concerned by reports of American citizens being involved,” she wrote in French. “We will cooperate to the fullest extent possible with DRC authorities as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved.” »
Images of two men under arrest quickly made the rounds on social media. One of the men in the video was identified as the American son of Congolese coup leader Christian Malanga. Photos of a US passport apparently belonging to Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old man born in Maryland, were also circulating. Zalman-Polun is believed to be a cannabis entrepreneur linked to alleged leader Malanga. Malanga is the founder of a political organization for Congolese in the United States, and he posted a livestream Sunday afternoon that appeared to show him in the lead.
The coup reportedly began around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning near the residence of Vital Kamerhe, candidate for president of the National Legislative Assembly. The attackers were greeted by gunfire, an exchange that killed a putschist and two police officers, a Kamerhe spokesperson wrote on X.
The attackers then headed towards the presidential palace, according to Congolese media, located just 1.6 km away. But they were arrested there by security forces and the coup was foiled. Ekenge, the Congolese army spokesman, told The Associated Press that the likely leader, Malanga, was killed in the clashes.
The target of the coup is believed to be President Félix Tshisekedi, who won a second term in a chaotic vote in December. Tshisekedi was unharmed and several American media outlets described the plot as a poorly organized plan based on amateur tactics.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is frequently racked by political corruption and civil wars, and it remains at the center of U.S. Africa policy because it contains enormous reserves of cobalt and other minerals crucial for a global transition to green energy.
The humanitarian situation in Congo has sometimes been described as a “silent genocide” due to the brutal effects of resource extraction.
News Source : www.thedailybeast.com
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