By Enyichukwu Enemanna
US citizens standing trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over their alleged involvement to oust democratically elected government in a military coup have told a court that they were threatened by the coup leader to either join or be killed.
Armed men on May 19 briefly occupied an office of the presidency in the capital Kinshasa before their leader, US-based Congolese politician Christian Malanga, was killed by security forces.
Speaking for the first time since the trial began, Malanga’s son Marcel Malanga, 22, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun told the court on Friday that the coup leader had threatened them.
“Dad had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders,” Malanga told a military court, denying they were involved in plotting the attempted coup.
He said he had come to Congo to see his father, whom he had not seen since 2021, at his invitation, adding that it was his first time as he had not visited the East African country before.
“I am American, I do not speak French or Lingala,” he told the military court in the capital Kinshasa.
Malanga and Zalman-Polun are among over 50 people that include US, British, Canadian, Belgian and Congolese citizens standing trial following the failed coup.
They are charged for illegal arms possession, criminal conspiracy, and terrorism, attempts to destabilise state institutions and undermine the integrity of the state.
Some of the charges carry death penalty or lengthy prison sentences.
Zalman-Polun told the court that he was a long-time business associate of the late Malanga, but had nothing to do in planning the coup attempt.
“I met Malanga in 2013, we always had relationships based on mining activities in Swaziland and Mozambique, he had never been so violent,” Zalman-Polun told the court.
The trial was adjourned until Monday July 8.
