DRC: Attempted destabilization thwarted in Kinshasa
On the night of Saturday to Sunday, May 19, 2024, the Congolese capital Kinshasa was the scene of a political destabilization attempt by a group of armed men. The operation targeted two strategic locations : the Palace of the Nation and the residence of Vital Kamerhe, an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi.
According to a statement from the Armed Forces Information and Communication Service (SCIFA), the operation was led by Christian Malanga, a former FARDC captain residing in the United States, at the head of about fifty individuals.
They targeted the residences of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense and Veterans Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, and Vital Kamerhe, before focusing on the Palace of the Nation, the official office of the President of the Republic.
Following these events, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo condemned the attack on the Palace of the Nation and reassured the public that measures have been taken to strengthen the security of institutions and officials as well as the city-province of Kinshasa. The ease with which these men executed their destabilization plan suggests the presence of an insider within the corridors of power.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) strongly condemned this attempted coup. SADC praised the Congolese army for apprehending the perpetrators of this violent act and for ending a situation that could have escalated following this unfortunate incident.
« SADC is governed by the Protocol on Politics, Defense, and Security Cooperation, which aims to promote peace and security in the Region, protect the Region’s populations from instability resulting from breaches of public order, formulate a common foreign policy for the Region, and cooperate in the areas of security and defense. Consequently, SADC urges member states to adhere to this protocol. It also calls on the international community to provide constant support to the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) », SADC said in a statement issued on Monday, May 20, 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana.
It should be noted that during the assault, militia leader Christian Malanga was killed, and several of his men were subdued by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
