Explainer: The foiled coup in DR Congo: Here's what to know
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/foiled-coup-dr-congo-heres-what-know-2024-05-20/
Explainer: The foiled coup in DR Congo: Here's what to know
By Reuters
May 20, 2024 11:49 AM EDT Updated 2 hours ago
May 20 (Reuters) - Security forces thwarted a coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday in which armed men targeted the homes of top officials and briefly occupied the office of the presidency in the capital Kinshasa, authorities said.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In the early hours of Sunday, a group of around 50 men armed in camouflage fatigues attacked the residences of the prime minister, the defence minister, and a senior politician tipped to become speaker of parliament, according to the army.
[...]
The assailants breached the Palais de la Nation, a grand porticoed building in central Kinshasa that houses the office of President Felix Tshisekedi.
Videos shared online that Reuters has not verified show armed men milling around the entrance of the presidency, whose glass doors have been smashed. They hoist the flag of Zaire, Congo's former name. One shouts: "Felix we're coming for you." Others chant: "Long live Zaire."
[...]