The leader of an attempted coup on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been killed and some 50 people including three American citizens arrested, a spokesperson for the Central African country’s army told Reuters.

Gunfire rang out around 4am in the capital Kinshasa, a Reuters reporter said. Armed men attacked the presidency in the city centre, according to spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge.

The group was made up of “several nationalities”, General Ekenge said, adding that around 40 of the attackers had been arrested, and four — including Mr Malanga — killed.

“We also have a naturalised British subject, the number two of the group,” the spokesman added. Mr Malanga’s son, Marcel Malanga, was also among the attackers, he said.
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Pictures of a US passport also showed another white man alleged to have been involved, a 36-year-old born in Maryland, who describes himself on his social media profiles as a medicinal cannabis entrepreneur.

In 2014, the man pleaded guilty in a Washington court to possessing and conspiring to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana, The Washington Post reported, citing court documents.

A 2022 article by the Africa Intelligence news website linked the man to Mr Malanga’s gold mining venture in Mozambique.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/american-british-citizens-involved-in-thwarted-dr-congo-coup-attempt-army-says/news-story/8534e6708d0ee62329c7fd26161267c7

The U.S. ambassador to the country, Lucy Tamlyn, said on X that she had been informed of the alleged involvement of American 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 allegedly involved,” she wrote in French. “We will cooperate with DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved.”

Footage 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 the coup’s Congolese ringleader, Christian Malanga. Also in circulation were pictures of a U.S. passport apparently belonging to Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old born in Maryland. Zalman-Polun is reportedly a cannabis entrepreneur who has been linked to the suspected leader Malanga. Malanga is the founder of a political organization for Congolese people in the U.S., and he posted a livestream Sunday afternoon that appeared to show him leading the charge.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/american-citizens-arrested-for-alleged-congo-coup-attempt-ambassador-says

A fringe Congolese politician and his United States business partner in mining and cannabis ventures in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique apparently led a foiled coup in the early hours of Sunday.

Christian Malanga, 41, leader of the US-based United Congolese Party, was killed as his band of 20 armed men reportedly tried to force entry into the Palais de la Nation, the complex that is home to President Felix Tshisekedi's government.

Malanga's right-hand man was Benjamin Zalman-Polun from Maryland (US) identified in earlier reports as an American cannabis entrepreneur.

Both Malanga and Zalman-Polun were partners in mining ventures and the fast-growing electronic cigarette liquids sector.

https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/fringe-drc-politician-killed-in-foiled-coup-attempt-us-business-partner-arrested-20240519