Congo Forces Put Down Coup Attempt
June 13, 04
Democratic Republic of Congo security forces are searching for the army officer who led a failed coup attempt on Friday, believing he is hiding in a forest outside of the capital, Kinshasa. During the fighting, rebels took over the state radio, declaring they were in control of the country.
Government forces, including the Presidential Guard, fought rebel forces who tried to storm the Presidential Palace. The government of the DRC, headed by President Joseph Kabila, is a coalition of former warring factions set up last year ending a five-year civil war that ripped the country apart.
"We have not yet got our hands on him [Major Lenge who led the coup attempt]. He abandoned his vehicles and he is hiding in a forest in Bas Congo," said a presidential spokesman yesterday (Saturday).
President Kabila addressed the nation on national television late Friday to announce that forces had put down the coup attempt.
It is unclear at this time how the coup attempt will affect diamond mining in the country, if at all.
The UN has condemned the attempted coup and pledged to help the country's transitional political process continue on its path to peaceful reconciliation.