Congo government quells coup attempt
Heavy weapon and tank fire echoed around the Congo capital Kinshasa today as loyalist forces fought what the government described as a short-lived coup attempt by dissidents within the presidential guard.
After a chaotic night of clashes around a military base, state media stations and the presidential mansion, President Joseph Kabila’s power-share government declared the attempt had failed, and it was in control.
“The president is in good shape. He wasn’t worried for a moment,” presidential protocol officer Freddy Lugenda said.
The crisis was the latest to shake Kabila’s transition government, pieced together out of loyalists, ex-rebels and opposition figures in 2003 after Congo’s devastating 1998-2002 war.
The coup attempt started after midnight when army officer Major Eric Lengue abruptly appeared on state TV and radio around to declare his forces had “neutralised” the transition government.
Power went off in the city, in a blackout suspected caused by the rebels. Foreign Minister Antoine Ghonda blamed an ”isolated movement” within the security forces, and said dissidents included officers of Kabila’s guard.
“The situation is completely under control,” Information Minister Vital Kamerhe declared before dawn.
State TV and radio, retaken, repeated the message and urged Kinshasa’s crowded capital to go about its day as normal.
Most of Kinshasa’s population appeared to have slept through the first hours of the coup attempt.
At daybreak, however, the capital awoke to bursts of automatic weapons in the city centre.
Residents and diplomats reported shooting and tank fire at the base where dissident forces had holed up.
Western diplomats said loyalist security forces were battling coup forces at the military base.
The coup attempt was the second security-force uprising against the transition government led by Kabila, who took power in 2001 after his father, rebel-leader-turned-president Laurent Kabila, was killed by one of his own bodyguards.
