- DRC president reduces death sentences of three Americans to life imprisonment
- May 2024 coup attempt targeted the presidential palace, killing six
- Officials to visit DRC for peace and investment talks
The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has commuted the death sentences of three Americans convicted of attempting a coup, reducing their punishment to life imprisonment. This move comes just days before U.S. officials are set to visit the central African nation.
The Americans—Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun—were among 37 people sentenced to death by a military court in September following a failed coup attempt last year. The plot, led by Marcel’s father, Christian Malanga, targeted the DRC’s presidential palace and the home of prominent Congolese politician Vital Kamerhe in a bid to overthrow the government in May 2024.
The coup attempt resulted in a gunfight with presidential guards, leaving at least six people dead, including Christian Malanga, an opposition figure who livestreamed the assault.
President Félix Tshisekedi granted clemency to the three Americans through a decree announced on national television late Tuesday, according to spokesperson Tina Salama. The clemency was based on a petition from the public prosecutor and the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, Salama added. CNN has reached out to Justice Minister Constant Mutamba for comment.
Salama emphasized that the decision was not influenced by the U.S. government, despite the DRC’s pursuit of a minerals-for-security partnership with the U.S. amid ongoing conflict in the country’s mineral-rich eastern region, where government forces are battling a Rwanda-backed rebel group.
“We have no agreement with the Americans on any intervention,” Salama stated.
CNN has also contacted the U.S. State Department and the White House for comment.
This decision comes as two senior U.S. officials—Senior Adviser for Africa Massad Boulos and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Corina Sanders—are set to visit the DRC on Thursday. Their trip aims to promote lasting peace in eastern DRC and encourage U.S. private sector investment in the region. They are also scheduled to visit Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya.
