The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced this Sunday that it had foiled a “coup attempt” in Kinshasa which, according to it, involved “foreigners and Congolese”. This announcement came when, according to various sources, automatic weapons fire had been heard at the end of the night near the “Palais de la Nation”, which houses the offices of President Félix Tshisekedi, after the attack by men armed from the home of the Minister of the Economy, Vital Kamerhe, located nearby, in the commune of Gombe.
“An attempted coup d’état was nipped in the bud by the defense and security forces,” said General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC), in a short statement this morning. message on national television. “This attempt involved foreigners and Congolese” who were “all rendered incapacitated, including their leader,” he added, calling on the population to “go about their business freely and peacefully.” “.
Streets around the Palace of the Nation prohibited
The United States Ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamlyn, later declared on X “very concerned about reports of American citizens allegedly involved” in these events. “Rest assured that we will cooperate with the DRC authorities,” she continued. During the day, certain streets near the Palais de la Nation remained closed to traffic, but the situation was calm.
The army spokesperson did not provide further information, promising to communicate later with “strong details and supporting images”. At the very beginning of the morning, information began to circulate on social networks, mentioning an attack on Vital Kamerhe’s home by armed men, some of whom then went to the Palace of the Nation.
Flags of Zaire brandished
There was “an armed attack” this Sunday morning at the Minister of the Economy, the Japanese ambassador to Kinshasa, Hidetoshi Ogawa, wrote about X. Vital Kamerhe “was not hit (…) Two police officers and an attacker died according to informed sources,” he added. The French embassy, for its part, had mentioned “automatic weapons fire” in the neighborhood, asking its nationals to avoid the area.
At the same time, videos posted on social networks showed men in fatigues at the Palais de la Nation, brandishing the flag of Zaire, the former name of the DRC during the time of Mobutu Sese Seko, the dictator overthrown in 1997. “Time arrived. Long live Zaire, long live the children of Mobutu,” said in Lingala the man appearing to be their leader who, according to information not officially confirmed, is a Congolese from the diaspora, former soldier, living in the United States. “Felix has fallen (…), we are victorious,” proclaimed this man, who was apparently killed by the security forces.
President Félix Tshisekedi, in power since January 2019, was re-elected hands down in the first round of the presidential election on December 20, with more than 73% of the votes, and the parties of his “Sacred Union” won some 90%. seats of national deputies in the legislative elections organized on the same day. The country is also facing a serious security crisis in its eastern part, with a rebellion (the M23), supported by Rwanda, which occupies large swathes of territory in the province of North Kivu.