DRC hands over Americans jailed over failed coup as talks on minerals progress

Three American citizens jailed over a failed coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were handed over to US custody on Tuesday after high-level talks between the two countries on security and mining deals, the DRC presidency told Reuters on Tuesday.

The presidency said the Americans had been transferred to US authorities after their sentences were commuted last week to serve their time at home.

The deal to hand over the Americans was finalised when US President Donald Trump's senior Africa adviser, Massad Boulos, travelled to the DRC to hold meetings with President Felix Tshisekedi in the capital Kinshasa.

Their release comes at a time of intensifying negotiations between Washington and Kinshasa. The US is open to exploring critical minerals partnerships, the state department told Reuters last month, after the DRC pitched a minerals-for-security deal to the Trump administration.

Ahead of the trip, Trump's special envoy for hostage response had called on Tshisekedi to release the Americans.

“This shows the collaboration and cooperation between the two states is growing stronger,” said Tina Salama, Tshisekedi's spokesperson.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The state department said in an e-mail that bringing home Americans was a top priority for the administration.

Joseph Szlavik-Soto, a lobbyist working for Kinshasa, said the DRC had also agreed to pay for the damage caused by protesters who attacked the US embassy and other missions earlier this year.

The state department declined to comment on the matter.

The DRC wants the US to play a bigger role in securing the war-ravaged country, where fighting in the east has raised fears of a wider regional conflict. The violence has escalated since January when Rwandan-backed M23 rebels made a swift advance, capturing the two largest cities in the east.

Washington is interested in securing greater access to the DRC's minerals, which are used in mobile phones and electric cars, and are exploited predominantly by China and its mining companies.

The Trump administration hasn't said how it might provide security, but a former senior defence official said options could include providing troops or contractors to train DRC forces.

“I hope it could work in a fashion that respects human rights and contributes to long-term stability in this important region. This will be very challenging in the DRC context,” the official said.

The Americans were among 37 defendants in the DRC sentenced to death by a military court in September.

The coup attempt last May was led by Christian Malanga, a US-based DRC politician  whose 22-year-old son was among the Americans arrested.

Marcel Malanga, who was visiting the DRC with a high school friend, said at the trial his father had threatened to kill them if they did not obey his orders. His mother posted a statement on Facebook saying the family needed time and did not wish to comment.

Reuters