THE Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) armed forces repelled an attempted coup d’etat involving Congolese and foreign fighters on Sunday morning, a DRC army spokesperson said in a televised address.
“An attempted coup d’etat has been put down by the defence and security forces. The attempt involved foreigners and Congolese. These foreigners and Congolese have been put out of action, including their leader,” spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said.
The spokesperson did not specify whether this meant they had been detained or killed.
Earlier, two guards and an assailant were killed in an attack on the nearby home of Vital Kamerhe, a member of parliament who is expected to be named speaker, Kamerhe’s spokesman and the Japanese ambassador said in posts on X.
The United States embassy issued a security alert on Sunday warning of “ongoing activity by DRC security elements” and reports of gunfire in the area.
On Friday, President Felix Tshisekedi met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis amid his party which dominates the national assembly.
He said he would not “hesitate to dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if these bad practices persist.”
Tshisekedi was reelected as president in December in a chaotic vote amid calls for a revote from the opposition over what they said was a lack of transparency, following past trends of disputed elections in the central African country.
The Congo is split into two entirely different countries — The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Republic of Congo.
