Six people were killed and many were arrested after attacks on the home of a friend of President Felix Tshisekedi and the presidential palace in Congo. The military said it was a failed attempt to take over the government.
In December, Tshisekedi won the election again even though the opposition wanted a new vote because they thought the process wasn’t fair.
Six people were killed, including 3 attackers and their leader, Christian Malanga, who is against the current government. The army said they also arrested around 50 people involved in the attack.
Soldiers in military uniform fought with the guards of Vital Kamerhe, a lawmaker who is close to the president of Congo. Kamerhe’s spokesperson wrote on social media site X, saying that the guards stopped the intruders and made sure that the politician and his family were safe.
Two security guards were also murdered, Ekenge stated.
In the beginning, the news said the men with guns were from Congo’s army. Later, they said the men were connected to Malanga. He posted a video on Facebook from inside the president’s house, threatening Tshisekedi.
The army spokesman said Malanga was killed in a gunfight with the presidential guards.
Ekenge said on TV that the attempted government takeover was stopped by the Congolese military and police and everything is ok now. He also said that three Americans, including Malanga’s son, were involved in the plot.
The attack happened when Tshisekedi’s ruling party was already dealing with a crisis over a parliamentary election. This election was supposed to happen on Saturday but got postponed.