On 19 May, the Congolese army announced that it had foiled a coup attempt, having that morning halted an attack by armed men on the house of government minister, Vital Kamerhe, and the Palais de la Nation, the official (but empty) residence of President Félix Tshisekedi. According to the army’s spokesperson, the alleged coup attempt had been led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese politician who had been living in the United States and who live streamed the attack on Facebook. Around 50 suspected coupists were arrested, including three American citizens. At least two security guards, one civilian and several attackers (including Malanga) were reported to have been killed. NGO, Human Rights Watch voiced concerns that the deceased attackers may have been summarily executed by Congolese soldiers. The small number of alleged coupists and their choice of targets raised widespread questions, including about their motives and the possible impact of the attacks on the DRC’s politics. Government investigations were ongoing at the end of May.

Update: On 13 September 2024, a military court in Kinshasa sentenced 37 people to death for their role in the 19 May coup attempt, having convicted them of a variety of charges, including criminal conspiracy, attack and (in the case of all but one) terrorism. Fourteen defendants were acquitted.

Sources: Jeune Afrique (1), Africa Confidential, The Economist, Associated Press News, Jeune Afrique (2), Council on Foreign Relations, Jeune Afrique (3).   

On 1 April, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, appointed Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the country’s first female prime minister. Tuluka is a member of Tshisekedi’s party, the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, and formerly served as the DRC’s planning minister. The appointment was hailed by the President’s office as reinforcing ‘the positive masculinity advocated by …Tshisekedi’ and was reported by the media as fulfilling his campaign promise to achieve greater gender equality. It comes four months after the country’s December general elections, which were marked by the underrepresentation of women among the candidates and saw just 61 women win seats in the National Assembly (approximately 13 per cent of the 477 elected members).      

Sources: Jeune Afrique, The Africa Report, Reuters, Associated Press News, International IDEA, Inter-Parliamentary Union

In a circular dated 13 March, the Ministry of Justice revealed that in February the government had decided to lift the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) 21-year moratorium on the use of the death penalty. According to the circular, the decision was motivated by the need ‘to rid our country’s army of traitors…and to stem the resurgence of acts of terrorism and urban banditry.’ A date was not given for the implementation of the decision. The weaknesses of the DRC’s judicial system, recently acknowledged by President Tshisekedi, have given rise to fears amongst Congolese rights activists that the reinstatement of the death penalty will lead to summary executions. Jeune Afrique reported security sources who indicated that the ‘public execution of soldiers’ accused of collaborating with Rwanda and the M23 rebels operating in the east of the country were likely already being planned. Amnesty International called the government’s decision ‘a huge step backward’ and ‘even more alarming’ in the context of growing state repression.  

Sources: Jurist, Jeune Afrique (1), Jeune Afrique (2), LUCHA, Amnesty International, The Africa Report             

The level of violence in the long-running conflicts in the eastern states of the country increased considerably in the first two months of 2024. In February, the M23 rebel group advanced further towards the city of Goma, causing at least 135,000 people to flee, adding to the hundreds of thousands who have already been internally displaced. There were also credible reports that heavier weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, rocket artillery, and armed drones, was being used in the conflict. Relations between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda also deteriorated, suggesting that a further intensification of the conflict is possible in the coming months.

Sources: Times LIVE, United Nations, Daily Monitor, News24, The Conversation