Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Africa

DR Congo survives coup attempt

Soldiers of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) early on Sunday suppressed attempt to overthrow the government.

The defense and security forces in Kinshasa, descended on the coup planners..

Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge, the spokesperson for the Congolese army said: “The army reassures that the situation is under control.

He asks Kinshasa residents to freely go about their business.

The spokesperson said in a brief message broadcast on public television, specifying that several perpetrators of the act were arrested.

At least three deaths were reported in incursions early Sunday by a group of attackers in neighbourhoods where politicians and diplomatic missions reside in Kinshasa, according to local media.

According to witnesses, “violent gunshots” were heard around 4:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) on Sunday near the residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly, the lower house of the country’s bicameral parliament.

Three people, including two police officers, were killed during the clashes, according to local media citing security sources.

The attackers also entered the Palais de la Nation, the symbolic headquarters of the DRC Presidency in Kinshasa, and said via a livestream on Facebook that they were “fighting for the country.”

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi primarily works at the Cite de l’Union Africaine (City of the African Union), a governmental complex situated in the Ngaliema commune of Kinshasa. The army spokesperson did not provide details on the situation of the president or Kamerhe suppressed on Sunday by defense and security forces in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge, the spokesperson for the Congolese army.

“The army reassures that the situation is under control and asks Kinshasa residents to freely go about their business,” the spokesperson said in a brief message broadcast on public television, specifying that several perpetrators of the act were arrested.

You May Also Like

Africa

Mali is among the countries currently suffering extreme heat with some areas hit by a temperature of 48,5°C, has recorded more than 100 deaths,...

Africa

Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), energy giant, has decided to sell its Nigerian onshore oil and gas assets to Renaissance Oil, an indigenous company...

West Africa and Sahel

The Federal Government of Nigeria has unveiled a nationwide free cesarean section initiative aimed at reducing alarming maternal mortality rates. Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate,...

Africa

Kenya’s hospitality industry has bounced back remarkably after the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry has emerged as one of the best-performing...