DR Congo hands over three Americans jailed for coup attempt

Announcement comes as US envoy for Africa Massad Boulos is in region

From left, Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, Marcel Malanga and Tyler Thompson, all American citizens, were convicted of participating in a coup attempt in the DR Congo last year. AP

Three Americans convicted of taking part in a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2024 have been moved to the US, the countries said on Tuesday, days after their death sentences were commuted to life in prison.

“They've been transferred. They're in our custody,” US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. Ms Bruce backed the DRC authorities' actions after the attack in May last year. “We also strongly condemn the armed attacks of May 19 and support the DRC authorities in holding those responsible appropriately accountable,” she said.

Among the three Americans was Marcel Malanga, 21, son of US-based opposition figure Christian Malanga, who led the botched attack on the presidential palace in Kinshasa. The elder Malanga, who live-streamed from the palace during the coup attempt, was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.

President Felix Tshisekedi commuted the three's sentences and agreed to repatriate them to America, where they will serve out their sentences, Congolese presidential spokeswoman Tina Salama wrote on X.

The announcement comes as a US envoy on Africa, Massad Boulos, whose son is married to President Donald Trump's daughter, visits the region to discuss tensions between DRC and Rwanda. He reported progress on a minerals deal in the resource-rich but impoverished and turbulent DRC.

A total of 37 people were sentenced to death in the purported coup attempt, including a Belgian, Briton and Canadian, all naturalised Congolese.

The DR Congo wants America to play a bigger role in bolstering security, as fighting in the country's east has raised fears of a wider regional conflict.

The violence has escalated since January, when Rwandan-backed M23 rebels made a swift advance, capturing the two largest cities in the east.

Washington is interested in securing greater access to Congo's minerals, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, and are currently exploited predominantly by China and its mining companies.

The Trump administration hasn't said how it might provide security, but a former senior defence official said options could include providing troops or contractors to train Congolese forces.

With reporting from agencies.