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Kenya condemns DRC coup attempt

Kenyan President William Ruto during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, Japan, on February 8, 2024, and the DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi during a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on April 30, 2024. (Photos: Shuji Kajiyama and Christophe Ena/Pool/Reuters)

By Mwangi Maina | Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Nairobi echoed the sentiments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), a peace and security league comprising most East African Community (EAC) member states.

Kenya has strongly denounced the attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), labelling it a blatant violation of established norms.

Nairobi echoed the sentiments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), a peace and security league comprising most East African Community (EAC) member states.

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"We join ICGLR in condemning the coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo," stated Kenya's Foreign Office on Wednesday.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'Oei, accompanying President William Ruto on a State Visit to the US, emphasised, "Any action aimed at the forceful removal of a democratically elected government is a flagrant contravention of the norms ascribed to by all peace-loving nations under the framework of the Constitutive Act of the African Union."

Earlier on Wednesday, ICGLR had commended the Congolese army for their defence of democracy and the rule of law.

"The ICGLR commends the defence forces and the people of the DRC for standing up for democracy and the rule of law," the bloc stated.

ICGLR Executive Secretary, Amb. João Samuel Caholo, affirmed, "As ICGLR, we strongly believe that the people of the DRC deserve to live in peace and have their democratic institutions respected," in a statement issued from Bujumbura.

The Congolese army reported that it successfully thwarted a coup attempt early Sunday morning, arresting the perpetrators, including several foreigners, after a shootout between armed men in military attire and guards of a prominent politician in Kinshasa.

Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the Congolese army, stated at a press briefing that the attempted coup was swiftly neutralised by defence and security forces and that the situation was under control.

"An attempted coup d'etat has been put down by the defence and security forces. The attempt involved foreigners and Congolese. These foreigners and Congolese have been put out of action, including their leader," Ekenge said, as reported by Reuters, without specifying whether this meant they had been detained or killed.

Some reports indicated that the incident resulted in three fatalities.