Three American citizens, Tyler Thompson, Marcel Malanga, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, were arrested by the Congolese military last month after getting mixed up in a failed coup led by Christian Malanga against the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
What Happened?
Christian Malanga, originally from the DRC and the leader of the coup and a minority opposition party, the United Congolese Party, was living in self-imposed exile in Salt Lake City, Utah, until last month. Malanga described himself as the “president-in-exile” of a new DRC nation called New Zaïre on his website.
During his attempted coup in May, Malanga first attacked the home of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi before moving on to the Palais de la Nation (the presidential palace). He live-streamed his attempt to overthrow the Congolese government and stated “[President] Felix, you’re out. We’re coming for you,” while inside the Palais de la Nation.
The ultimate goal of the coup is unclear because President Tshisekedi does not live in the Palais de la Nation, nor was he present there during the nighttime coup.
The Congolese military quickly took control of the situation, and Malanga was killed while resisting arrest. Six people were also killed during the attacks, and three American citizens, along with 50 other suspects in the coup, were detained.
No reason or comment has been given by the DRC as to how Malanga’s group was able to enter the Palais.
Americans Involved
Marcel Malanga, son of Christian Malanga, was one of the three Americans allegedly involved in the attempted coup. Marcel can be seen standing next to Malanga at one point in his livestream in the Palais de la Nation. There is also a video of him being taken into custody by the Congolese authorities.
Tyler Thompson, another American detained after the coup and a friend of Marcel, had flown to Africa with Marcel for what his family believed was a vacation to South Africa and Eswatini. It is unclear how Thompson got involved in the coup, but a friend of Thompson and Marcel claimed he had been offered between $50,000 and $100,000 to act as a “security guard” for Christian Malanga.
The families of both Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson maintain that the men are innocent.
Little information is available on the third American, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, and his involvement in the coup. Zalman-Polun, a convicted cannabis trafficker, supposedly connected with Malanga through a gold mining company set up in Mozambique in 2022, but it is unclear how Malanga recruited him.
US Response
In response to the arrests, Lucy Tamlyn, the U.S. ambassador to the DRC, stated, “We will cooperate with the DRC authorities to the fullest extent as they investigate these criminal acts and hold accountable any U.S. citizen involved in criminal acts.” (READ MORE: WE SHOULD STOP EXPLOITING AFRICA – AND START CARING)
The State Department has stressed that “consular access” is highly important for the three detained Americans. A request for the detained citizens to have consular access has been made, but the request has not yet been fulfilled. The Congo has also refused to say whether the three Americans will appear in court.
Nearly a month has passed since the coup occurred and very little information is available for the families of the three detained Americans, including whether they are alive and healthy. The families have been pressuring the U.S. government to secure this information from the Congo, but so far to no avail.
