American citizens were involved in an attempted coup d’état that left at least three people dead on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a military spokesperson told CNN Monday.
The attempted coup, which targeted the residence of Congolese politician Vital Kamerhe and the country’s presidential palace, was led by opposition leader Christian Malanga, who was killed in a gun battle between the armed putschists and the presidential guards, according to army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge. Ekenge also claimed Malanga was a US citizen, though the State Department said later it had no records of him.
“I confirm the death of Christian Malanga neutralized during the exchange of fire at the Palais de la Nation (presidential palace),” Ekenge told CNN, adding that Malanga’s son Marcel, “was among those arrested.”
Ekenge named three other Americans, identified as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Patrick Ducey, and Taylor Thomson were involved in the foiled coup.
As the state department claims that there are no relations. some more context from Aljazeera:
Who is Christian Malanga and what was his aim?
Captain Christian Malanga Musumari, who is believed to have led Sunday’s attack, was a wealthy businessman, politician and one-time military captain in the Congolese army. He was a resident of the US where his family secured political asylum when he was a child.
Although Malanga contested parliamentary elections in 2011, he was arrested and detained for several weeks under the leadership of former President Joseph Kabila. Upon his release, Malanga went to the US where he founded the opposition United Congolese Party (UCP). Over the years, Malanga campaigned for religious freedom in Africa and led anticorruption training initiatives for young Africans in Europe.
Photos released on social media show the seized passport of another US national, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, who was allegedly involved in the Sunday attack. In a 2022 article in Africa Intelligence, Zalman-Polun was identified as a “cannabis entrepreneur” and a business associate of Malanga.