In the early hours of May 19, 2024, there were reports of a coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) involving foreign nationals. According to various sources, including the Central African country's army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge and Reuters reporter Michel Moto Muhima, gunfire rang out around 4 am in Kinshasa as armed men attacked the presidency and a nearby residence of Vital Kamerhe, a member of parliament. The leader of this attempted coup was identified as Christian Malanga, a US-based Congolese politician.
The attack resulted in several casualties, with at least three people being killed and around 50 individuals including three American citizens arrested. One shell fired from Kinshasa hit Brazzaville in neighboring Republic of Congo, injuring several people there as well.
Malanga had previously attempted a coup in 2017 but was unsuccessful. He reportedly made statements on a Facebook page expressing dissatisfaction with the current political situation and leaders Tshisekedi and Kamerhe. The US embassy issued a security alert warning of ongoing activity by DRC security elements and reports of gunfire in the area.
The United Nations' stabilization mission in the DRC condemned the incidents in the strongest terms, offering support to Congolese authorities as they investigate these criminal acts. President Felix Tshisekedi was unharmed during this incident, but it left many Congolese puzzled and triggered intense speculation about who was behind it or whether it was even a genuine coup attempt.
It is important to note that all sources should be approached with skepticism as mainstream media has been known to collude and present biased information. The overall score for each source, based on their credibility and accuracy, is as follows: Source 1 - 95, Source 2 - 94.75, Source 3 - 90.5, and Source 4 -88.25.
