DR Congo thwarts Kinshasa ‘coup attempt’: army

 KINSHASA: The DR Congo military said on Sunday it had thwarted an “attempted coup” near the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa involving “foreigners and Congolese”.

It happened in the early hours of the morning outside the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe, in the Gombe area in the north of the capital, near the Palais de la Nation which houses the president´s offices, said a spokesman;

“An attempted coup d´etat has been stopped by the defence and security forces,” said General Sylvain Ekenge in a message broadcast on national television.

He added that the “foreigners and Congolese... including their leader” would “all no longer cause any harm”.

Shots were also heard near the Palais de la Nation at the time of the coup attempt, according to a number of sources.

Ekenge did not give any more details on the coup attempt. AFP also contacted official sources but has so far received no reply.

“I am shocked by the events this morning and very worried by the reports of American citizens allegedly involved,” Lucy Tamlyn, the US ambassador to the DRC, posted on X, formerly Twitter.