The trial of the failed effort to overthrow the government in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has begun in Kinshasa, involving 50 suspects, of whom three are American and three others are from the UK, Canada, and Belgium.

The defendants appeared at a military court on Friday in Kinshasha where they face counts of criminal conspiracy, murder, terrorism, and other charges for their suspected roles in last month’s failed coup attempt. 

If convicted, some of the defendants could be sentenced to death or hefty prison terms as Judge Freddy Ehume stated that the Americans' charges are “punishable by death.”

On May 19, gunmen dressed in military uniforms occupied an office of DRC President Felix Tshisekedi after invading the home of the outgoing economy minister and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly, Vital Kamerhe. Six people were reportedly killed, including two police officers.

The alleged leader was Christian Malanga, an ex-DRC politician who obtained US citizenship while in exile, and according to a DRC military spokesperson, he was killed by security forces during the attempted government overthrow. However, his 21-year-old son, Marcel, is one of the US citizens charged. 

That day, spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge said, "An attempted coup d'etat has been put down by the defense and security forces. The attempt involved foreigners and Congolese. These foreigners and Congolese have been put out of action, including their leader."

A Facebook page, purportedly belonging to Christian Malanga, a politician based in the United States, posted a live-streamed video in which he seemed to be orchestrating the attack.
 
"We, the militants, are tired. We cannot drag on with Tshisekedi and Kamerhe, they have done too many stupid things in this country," he said in Lingala in the video.

The DRC has seen infighting between local communities over disputed land. The Teke community claims exclusive rights over areas in Mai-Ndombe province sparking conflict with other communities in June 2022. Fighting expanded to neighboring provinces, including Kwango, Kwilu, and Kinshasa.

The UN believes that around 3,000 people were murdered in the war between June 2022 and July 2023. The DRC government, however, sets the death toll at 180, a statistic that has remained constant since October 2022.