The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) armed forces repelled an attempted coup d'etat involving Congolese and foreign fighters, a DRC army spokesman said in a televised address.

Kinshasa

The Democratic Republic of Congo's armed forces successfully repelled an attempted coup involving both Congolese and foreign fighters, according to an army spokesman in a televised address. Gunfire was reported in Kinshasa, the nation’s capital, with armed clashes occurring near the president's office. 

A strong military presence has been established around major checkpoints in Kinshasa following the incident. Several individuals, including both Congolese citizens and foreigners, have been arrested in connection with the attempted coup. 

The DRC has been experiencing significant instability, particularly in its Eastern region, where the M23 rebel group, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has captured substantial territory. The country's political climate is also tense, following contested elections and ongoing delays in forming a government. 

Further details on the involvement of foreign fighters remain unclear, with circulating videos suggesting the presence of non-Congolese individuals among the attackers. The Congolese government has yet to provide specific information on their identities.



Congo army says it stopped attempted coup

We begin in the Democratic Republic of Congo with a developing story. Earlier this Saturday, a Sunday, gunfire was heard in the capital, Kinshasa. The Saudi press reported that men in military uniform clashed with guards of a politician near the president's office. Let's speak to our correspondent to try to get some clarity on this situation, Emmett Livingston, standing by on the line from Kinshasa. Hello to you, Emmett. What is the situation right now in the capital? The situation in the capital at the moment is confused, but it appears to be under control. There's strong military presence around the major checkpoints in Kinshasa. And the army just gave a statement less than an hour ago saying that they had just thwarted an attempted coup, but that the situation was under control and that they had arrested several Congolese people and several foreigners. An attempted coup thwarted there in the capital. What's the broader context in the DRC at the moment? So the DRC, especially in its Eastern region, is in a conflict. The M23 rebel groups backed by Rwanda has captured huge amounts of territory. So there's a great deal of instability. There's also political instability. The elections, which were highly criticized, happened in December and in January, and it's now May and a government still hasn't been formed. So there's been a huge amount of political infighting over who gets awarded the government jobs. In Emmett, one of the wires we're having here in the newsroom says that this attempted coup involved Congolese, but also foreign fighters. Any idea what that means, foreign fighters? At the moment, it's very difficult to say anything with clarity. There are videos that are circulating on social media that appear to show a white person who was among the fighters that committed the attack today. But to go any further than that at the moment is difficult to say with any clarity. And the Congolese government itself only talked about foreigners, didn't specify. We'll be trying to follow that situation throughout the day here on France 24. Emmett, thank you very much. Emmett Livingston reporting from Kinshasa.

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