Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Tuesday commuted the death sentences of three Americans convicted in a 2024 coup plot to life in prison, setting the stage for enhanced US ties. The New York Times notes another 34 people were sentenced to death in the case; their sentences are unchanged. Little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga led the failed May coup and died resisting arrest. His son, Marcel Malanga, a US citizen, claimed coercion, saying, "Dad had threatened to kill us if we did not follow his orders," per the AP.
The 21-year-old was referring in part to his high school friend, Tyler Thompson Jr., who'd come to Africa from Utah on what his family believed was a vacation. Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old who's said to have known the elder Malanga through a gold mining company, was the third American convicted. The AP reports the decision comes as the country seeks to secure a minerals deal with the US that will land it the security support it needs to fight M23 rebels in the country's east and coincides with a US announcement that Massad Boulos—President Trump's senior adviser for Africa and Tiffany Trump's father-in-law, reports the BBC—will travel to four African countries, including Congo, beginning on Thursday.
The Times reports Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have ravaged eastern Congo this year, taking control of major cities and killing thousands. Many believe US pressure on Rwanda may be one of the few effective ways to get M23 to relent. Trump's special envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, in late February implied that any help would be contingent on a change in the Americans' situation. He wrote on X: "The President of Congo ... is holding 3 Americans now. Perhaps it would be better if Rwanda won the war?" (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)
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