KINSHASA,– On Tuesday, Congo’s army spokesman named Taylor Thomson as the third American involved in a failed coup attempt in Kinshasa. This revelation comes as family members in Utah mourn the death of Christian Malanga, the eccentric leader of the attack targeting the presidential palace.
Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge confirmed to The Associated Press that Thomson was part of the plot. It remains unclear whether Thomson was among those arrested or killed during the assault on the palace and the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.
Malanga, described as a naturalized American, was killed in a shootout at the palace after resisting arrest. The State Department has not confirmed Malanga’s U.S. citizenship. The other two Americans involved were Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a convicted marijuana trafficker, and Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel.
Authorities are investigating how Marcel Malanga transitioned from a high school football player in Utah to allegedly attempting to overthrow one of Africa’s largest countries.
“My son is innocent,” his mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press, declining to provide further details.
Sawyer frequently posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel with his siblings in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she shared images of Marcel lifting weights and dancing during COVID lockdowns.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Sawyer expressed her anger, stating that her son had followed his father. “This was an innocent boy following his father. I’m so tired of all the videos being posted and sent to me. God will take care of you people!”
A video circulating on social media over the weekend showed Marcel alongside a bloodied white man, both covered in dust and surrounded by Congolese soldiers. Marcel appeared frightened with his hands raised.
At the West Jordan home of Malanga’s mother, Chantal Malanga, relatives gathered to mourn. Friends visited, offering condolences and bringing food. Sydney, a cousin of Christian Malanga, described the family as “heartbroken” and “so raw” after learning of his death. They are considering a funeral in Utah.
Details on how Malanga recruited other Americans for his coup attempt remain unclear. Malanga’s connection to Zalman-Polun, who pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana in 2015, appeared through a gold mining company set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to Mozambique’s official journal and Africa Intelligence newsletter.
American businessman Cole Ducey, also named in the mining company, said he briefly explored mining concessions with Malanga and met Zalman-Polun through him. Ducey distanced himself from the coup, stating he had not been in contact with Malanga and Zalman-Polun for two years.
“I had nothing to do with this and was not involved in any way,” said Ducey, who was in Eswatini. He expressed shock at their involvement in the coup attempt.
The alleged coup began at the residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and candidate for speaker of the National Assembly. His guards reportedly killed the attackers. Malanga live-streamed from the presidential palace, showing people in military uniforms wandering at night. He was later killed while resisting arrest.
Officials have not explained how the attackers gained access to the palace. Dino Mahtani, a former journalist and political adviser to the U.N. in Congo, suggested Malanga might have been betrayed.
“It’s difficult to imagine how 20, 30 guys thought storming the presidential palace at 4 a.m. could take over the Congolese state,” Mahtani said. “Given his previous close relationship with one of Tshisekedi’s current military commanders, there’s a chance the plot was known internally.”
