DR Congo: 3 Americans Face Death Penalty in 'Coup' Trial, Verdict Expected Today

Photo: AP

A verdict is expected this Friday from a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is adjudicating a high-profile case involving what the army claims was an attempted coup. The trial includes 51 defendants, among them three Americans, who face severe penalties, including the death sentence.

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The dramatic series of events began in the early hours of May 19 when a group of armed men launched an attack on the residence of then-economy minister Vital Kamerhe. Kamerhe, who has since ascended to the position of national assembly president, was targeted in what the authorities have described as an insurrectionist plot. Following this attack, the group proceeded to a building that houses the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi. In a provocative display, they waved flags of Zaire, the name used during the regime of the ousted dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was overthrown in 1997.

The Congolese military swiftly intervened, announcing on national television that they had successfully thwarted what they termed an “attempted coup d’état.” According to army spokesperson General Sylvain Ekenge, the alleged coup was orchestrated by Christian Malanga, a Congolese-American who was killed by security forces during the intervention. The prosecution has implicated Malanga’s son, Marcel Malanga, along with two other Americans, in the plot. The trial is taking place at a military court in Kinshasa, where the fate of the accused will soon be decided.