Youssouf Ezangi, a 53-year-old UK citizen of Congolese descent who worked as a plumber in London, was among six foreign nationals who received “the harshest penalty” from a military court.
The group included a Canadian, a Belgian, and three Americans, all among the 37 individuals found guilty of charges related to the failed coup, including attempted coup, terrorism, and criminal association.
Six people were killed during the failed attempt to overthrow President Félix Tshisekedi, who has led the country of 109 million since 2019.
The coup leader, Christian Malanga, was shot dead by security forces shortly after livestreaming the May 19 attack on the presidential palace. Armed men under his command briefly occupied an office in the palace before the attempt was quashed.
Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, one of the American defendants, claimed his father forced him and his high school friend from Utah, Tyler Thompson, 21, to take part. He told the court, “Dad had threatened to kill us if we didn’t follow his orders.”
Other participants echoed this claim, including Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, who argued her son was innocent. Thompson stated, “Christian woke us in the middle of the night, dressed in military gear with a gun, saying the military would soon arrive. He told me I had to obey or I would die.”
Malanga, a little-known used car salesman and gold miner, saw himself as the leader of a shadow government in exile, according to Ms. Sawyer. Thompson and Marcel’s former football teammates claimed Malanga promised up to £76,000 for joining him on a “security job” in Congo.
The DRC reinstated the death penalty earlier this year, raising hope that Ezangi and his co-defendants could appeal the military court’s decision.
Their lawyer, Richard Bondo, said, “We will challenge this decision on appeal,” and noted that the defendants had inadequate interpretation during the investigation. The group has five days to appeal the verdict.
The UK’s Foreign Office is attempting to convince the DRC to halt any execution plans for Ezangi. A spokesperson stated, “We are providing consular assistance to a British national detained in DRC and are in contact with local authorities. We have made representations at the highest levels regarding the use of the death penalty and will continue to do so.”
The third American involved is Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old believed to have met Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.
