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A Father-son team from Utah attempted to take power in Congo by staging a coup. However, the coup failed, leaving the father, Christian Malanga, dead. Malanga came to America to live in Utah in 1998. He came as a political refugee.

His son, also an American, Marcel Malanga, was taken captive during the failed coup attempt. Along with the Malangas, there was also a British national and another American citizen aiding in the coup, both of which were also captured during the coup attempt.

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Excerpt from www.boredpanda.com

One American is dead and another was taken into custody after a coup attempt against the autocratic government of President Felix Tshisekedi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The botched uprising, which started early on Sunday (May 19), resulted in the deaths of two police officers and one of the attackers, later identified as Christian Malanga, a Salt Lake City resident who came to the US in 1998 as a political refugee.

The 41-year-old Utah resident was reportedly joined by his son, 21-year-old Marcel Malanga, who remains captive in the central African nation along with some 50 people involved in the incident, as per Reuters.

Gunfire rang out around 4 a.m. in the capital, Kinshasa, a Reuters reporter said. Armed men attacked the presidency in the city center, according to spokesman Sylvain Ekenge.

Another attack took place at the nearby home of Vital Kamerhe, a member of parliament who is tipped to become speaker.

“The Honorable Vital Kamerhe and his family are safe and sound,” declared Kamerhe’s spokesman, Michel Moto, in a message published on his X profile.

Malanga was reportedly “neutralized” during the incident and was later identified as the leader of the attempted coup. 

Benjamin Zalman-Polun, a 36-year-old cannabis “entrepreneur” from Maryland who acted as Malanga’s right-hand man, was also seized by Congolese authorities.

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Excerpt from www.thesun.co.uk

Brit captured and American among six killed in failed COUP in DR Congo after armed militia storms presidential palace

A BRITISH citizen has been captured and an American man killed after an attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Six people died after an armed militia force stormed the presidential palace in capital city Kinshasa on Sunday.

At around 4am on Sunday morning, dozens of armed men clad in military gear and brandishing rifles attacked two major government buildings.

President Felix Tshisekedi’s official home and office – the Palais de le Nation – and the home of economy minister Vital Kamerhe.

Four of the attackers and two guards were killed in the shootouts that followed around the homes – spread about 1.2 miles apart.

The attack lasted around three hours before Congolese security forces won out.

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Excerpt from www.wivb.com

Congolese army says it has foiled a coup. Self-exiled opposition leader threatens president

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s army says it has “foiled a coup” early Sunday morning and arrested the perpetrators, including several foreigners, following a shootout between armed men in military uniform and guards of a close ally of Congo’s president that left three people dead in the capital, Kinshasa.

At first, local media identified the armed men as Congolese soldiers but then reported they were linked to self-exiled opposition leader Christian Malanga who later posted a video on Facebook threatening President Felix Tshisekedi.

Tshisekedi was reelected as president in December in a chaotic vote amid calls for a revote from the opposition over what they said was a lack of transparency. The Central African country has witnessed similar trends of disputed elections in the past.

Congolese army spokesperson Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge said on state television Sunday that the attempted coup d’état was “nipped in the bud by Congolese defense and security forces (and) the situation is under control.” He did not give further details.

This also came amid a crisis gripping Tshisekedi’s ruling party over an election for the parliament’s leadership which was supposed to be held Saturday but got postponed.

Clashes were reported Sunday between men in military uniform and guards of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo, at his residence in Kinshasa, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.

Kamerhe’s guards stopped the armed men, Michel Moto Muhima, the politician’s spokesperson said on the X social media platform, adding that two police officers and one of the attackers were killed in the shootout that started around 4:30 a.m.

Footage, seemingly from the area, showed military trucks and heavily armed men parading deserted streets in the neighborhood as the army said the situation has been brought under control.

Meanwhile, the self-exiled Malanga appeared in the live-streamed video surrounded by several people in military uniform and said: “Felix you’re out, we are coming for you.”

On his website, the opposition leader’s group — the United Congolese Party (UCP) — is described as “a grassroots platform that unifies the Congolese Diaspora around the world opposing the current Congolese dictatorship.”

Tshisekedi hasn’t so far addressed the public about Sunday’s events.

On Friday, he met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis seizing his party, which dominates the national assembly. He said he would not “hesitate to dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if these bad practices persist.”

The United States Embassy in Congo issued a security alert Sunday, urging caution after “reports of gunfire.”

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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press journalist Ruth Alonga in Goma, Congo and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv contributed.

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Excerpt from www.ctvnews.ca

Congo foiled coup leaves 6 dead

Six people were killed and dozens arrested following attacks on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi and the presidential palace, in what the country’s military described as a foiled coup attempt.

In December, Tshisekedi was reelected as president amid calls for a revote from the opposition over what they said was a lack of transparency.

The six who were killed included 3 assailants and their leader, the self-exiled opposition figure Christian Malanga, Congolese army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told reporters on Sunday night, adding that around 50 perpetrators were arrested.

Armed men in military uniform clashed Sunday with the guards of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator who is close to the Congolese president. Kamerhe’s spokesman posted on social media platform X, saying the guards were able to stop them and confirmed the lawmaker and his family were safe.’

Researchers at the Delft University of Technology at the Netherlands have developed a new type of drone called a “neuromorphic drone” that is modelled after animal brains in how it processes data. The initial tests reveal these neuromorphic drones process data 64 times faster than drones using conventional GPUs and use three times less energy to do so.

One of the authors of the study, Jesse Hagenaars, said “The calculations performed by spiking neural networks are much simpler than those in standard deep neural network. Whereas digital spiking neurons only need to add integers, standard neurons have to multiply and add floating point numbers. This makes spiking neural networks quicker and more energy efficient. To understand why, think of how humans also find it much easier to calculate 5 + 8 than to calculate 6.25 x 3.45 + 4.05 x 3.45.”

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Excerpt from scitechdaily.com

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have created a drone that can fly autonomously, utilizing neuromorphic image processing and control inspired by the functioning of animal brains. Animal brains process data and consume energy more efficiently than the deep neural networks typically operated on GPUs. Consequently, neuromorphic processors are ideal for small drones, as they eliminate the need for bulky hardware and large batteries.

The results are extraordinary: during flight, the drone’s deep neural network processes data up to 64 times faster and consumes three times less energy than when running on a GPU. Further developments of this technology may enable the leap for drones to become as small, agile, and smart as flying insects or birds. The findings were recently published in Science Robotics.

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Excerpt from freedomist.com

A far-left activist has purportedly shot the Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The attempted assassination was caught on film. The suspect, 71-year-old Jurak Cintula, said he allegedly shot Fico over free speech rights, which he says Fico is infringing on. Slovak authorities have been quick to claim Cintula acted alone.