Congo's
army says it has “foiled a coup” early Sunday morning and arrested the
perpetrators, including several foreigners, following a shootout between
armed men in military uniform and a top politician’s guards that left
three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa.
The attempted coup d’état was “nipped in
the bud by Congolese defense and security forces [and] the situation is
under control,” Congolese army spokesperson Brig Gen Sylvain Ekenge
said at a media briefing.
Ekenge said Malanga first attempted and aborted a coup in 2017 and that one of the American citizens arrested was Malanga's son.
"We,
the militants, are tired. We cannot drag on with Tshisekedi and
Kamerhe, they have done too many stupid things in this country," Malanga
could be heard said in Lingala in a live video broadcast in what
appeared to be Malanga's Facebook page.
Born
on January 2, 1983, Malanga a social media freak is a former military
officer who became a businessman and entered DRC politics during the
2011 elections. At the time of his death, he was the president of the
Congolese United Party (UCP).
Clashes were reported between men in
military uniform and guards of a local politician at the politician’s
house on Tshatshi Boulevard, about 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) from the
presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.
This came amid a crisis gripping
President Felix Tshisekedi's ruling party over an election for the
parliament's leadership which was supposed to be held Saturday but was
postponed.
The armed men attacked the Kinshasa
residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for
speaker of the National Assembly of Congo, but were stopped by his
guards, Michel Moto Muhima, his spokesperson said on the X social media
platform.
“The Honorable Vital Kamerhe and his family are safe and sound. Their security has been reinforced,” he wrote.
Local media identified the men as
Congolese soldiers. It wasn't clear if the men in military uniform were
trying to arrest the politician.
Two police officers and one of the
attackers were killed in the shootout that started around 4:30 am at the
house on Tshatshi Boulevard, according to Muhima. Footage, seemingly
from the area, showed military trucks and heavily armed men parading
deserted streets in the neighbourhood.
On Friday, President Felix Tshisekedi
met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation
ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis amid his party
which dominates the national assembly.
He said he would not “hesitate to
dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if
these bad practices persist.”
Tshisekedi was reelected as president in
December in a chaotic vote amid calls for a revote from the opposition
over what they said was a lack of transparency, following past trends of
disputed elections in the central African country. The United States
Embassy in Congo issued a security alert, urging caution after "reports
of gunfire.”
