Thirty-seven individuals, including three Americans, a Briton, a Belgian, and a Canadian, have been sentenced to death for their involvement in an attempted coup against the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The men were accused of leading an assault on the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi in May.
Christian Malanga, a U.S. citizen of Congolese descent and alleged leader of the plot, was killed during the attack along with five others.
A total of 51 people were tried in a military court, with the proceedings broadcast on national TV and radio.
Among those sentenced to death were Marcel Malanga, Christian’s son, and his friend Tyler Thompson. The pair, both in their 20s, had previously played football together in Utah. Marcel claimed that his father had coerced him into participating, while Tyler’s stepmother expressed shock over his involvement, stating they had no idea how he ended up in DR Congo.
Benjamin Zalman-Polun, another American sentenced to death, had business dealings with Christian Malanga.
Jean-Jacques Wondo, a Congolese-Belgian dual citizen and prominent regional researcher, was also sentenced despite Human Rights Watch’s claims of weak evidence against him.
The British national, Youssouf Ezangi, was reportedly involved in recruiting participants, and the Canadian national had Congolese roots. Fourteen out of the 51 tried were acquitted.
The convicts have five days to appeal their sentences. Although death sentences have not been carried out in DR Congo for about two decades, the government lifted a moratorium in March to address perceived threats within the army, though no executions have been carried out since.
The attempted coup occurred on May 19 in Kinshasa, beginning with an attack on parliamentary speaker Vital Kamerhe’s residence and then the president’s palace. Security forces intervened, halting the coup attempt.
The attackers were reportedly linked to the New Zaire Movement and Christian Malanga, who was killed after resisting arrest.
President Tshisekedi, re-elected in controversial December elections with 78% of the vote, faces ongoing challenges in a country plagued by conflict, corruption, and poor governance despite its vast mineral resources.
