By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Three United States nationals who were last year convicted in connection with their roles in a failed coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been sent back to their country to serve the rest of their prison terms.
The trio were initially sentenced to death by a military court but their sentencing was commuted to life imprisonment last week.
The three were “in our custody”, US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed.
Marcel Malanga Malu, Tylor Thomson and Zalman Polun Benjamin left DR Congo on Tuesday to serve the remaining part of their sentences in the US, Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said.
They were accused of leading an attack on both the presidential palace and the home of an ally of President Félix Tshisekedi last May. Later they were convicted of criminal conspiracy, terrorism and other charges, which they denied.
The suspected leader of the gang, Christian Malanga, a US national of Congolese origin, was killed during the attack, along with five others. His son, Marcel Malanga Malu, was among the three sent home on Tuesday.
They were escorted to N’Djili International Airport in Kinshasa in “strict compliance with legal procedures”, said DR Congo’s presidency.
Their repatriation comes as the US and DR Congo explore a deal to exploit the Central African country’s huge mineral wealth.
A senior adviser to the US President, Donald Trump, for Africa had last week visited DR Congo and confirmed that the two countries were in talks about minerals and said it could involve “multibillion-dollar investments”.
DR Congo has large deposits of coltan and cobalt, used in electronic equipment and batteries for electric cars, which are currently largely extracted by Chinese mining companies.
The mineral deposits are also at the heart of ongoing conflict between the East African country and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group, which has taken over cities and displaced thousands of residents.
