In the first light of dawn, an event of exceptional gravity shook the Palais de la Nation, the presidential seat of the Democratic Republic of Congo. An anonymous member of the Republican Guard described to the editorial staff of Fatshimetrie the tumultuous circumstances which marked this day of extreme tension.
At around 4:20 a.m., several vehicles, including a police jeep in the lead, were allowed to enter the facility after guards opened the gates. Believing they were dealing with authorized cars, they quickly realized their mistake when shots were fired, signaling the arrival of hostile forces.
Taken by surprise by this unexpected intrusion, the guards deserted their positions and fled towards the Pullman hotel, hoping to join another unit of the Republican Guard protecting President Félix Tshisekedi. Unfortunately, their late arrival did not make it possible to catch up with the head of state, who had already left around 4:30 a.m. with his escort.
Reinforcements were quickly dispatched from Camp Tshatshi, but the excitement of the moment was exacerbated by the inexperienced composition of these new recruits mainly from a single province, confronted for the first time with a real conflict situation.
Once on site around 6:30 a.m., the reinforcement unit assessed the situation and implemented an action plan to neutralize the attackers. To their great surprise, most of the attackers, around forty men, were unarmed, their leader behaving arrogantly and confidently.
After the leader was killed by a member of the Republican Guard, the other attackers fled towards the Congo River, pursued and neutralized by the security forces.
This attack is part of a series of destabilizing events for the Democratic Republic of Congo. The presence of an American entrepreneur, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, and a Congolese political opponent, Christian Malanga, among the key players in this attempted coup d’état raises questions about the motivations and sponsors of this operation, fueling speculation about mining interests and obscure international alliances.
International reactions were quick to follow, with the US Ambassador to the DRC, Lucy Tamlyn, expressing concern over the involvement of US citizens in these events. Congolese authorities are determined to investigate these criminal acts and hold all those responsible, including foreigners, accountable.
This traumatic episode has thrown Kinshasa and the entire country into an atmosphere of worry, prompting the government to strengthen its security measures to prevent further attempts at destabilization.. The authorities are now on alert, aware of the threats to the country’s stability and determined to protect the integrity of their democratic institutions.