Democratic Republic of Congo: The attempted coup d'état of 28 March 2004, particularly the list of the people arrested or sought by the authorities in relation to this event

An attempted coup d'état took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC) during the night of 27-28 March 2004 (Africa Research Bulletin 22 Apr. 2004). The authors of this attempted coup reportedly aimed to take control of four military posts: the Tshatshi and Kokolo military camps, the Gombe Naval Base, and the Ndolo Air Base (ibid.; IRIN 29 Mar. 2004; RFI 28 Mar. 2004).

The list of the people arrested or sought by the Congolese authorities in relation to this event could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, during a 27 August 2004 telephone interview, the president of the African Human Rights Association (Association africaine des droits de l'homme, ASADHO), based in Kinshasa, said that it was difficult to identify the people who had been arrested because of the conditions of their detention: they are monitored by members of the military and are not allowed any visitors.

However, the day after the failed coup attempt, Afrik.com named Samy Econgo as one of the members of the group that was arrested, but it did not give any more information regarding his identity (29 Mar. 2004). According to the same source, Samy Econgo allegedly sought refuge at the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) before he was arrested (Afrik.com 29 Mar. 2004). Hamadoun Touré, spokesperson for the MONUC, however, explained that none of the assailants had sought refuge with the MONUC, but rather that the MONUC had provided help to a person who was mistakenly thought to be a civilian in distress; when they discovered that he was armed, he was handed over to the Congolese authorities (United Nations 29 Mar. 2004). The MONUC, however, did not provide the name of the person concerned.

Agence France Presse (AFP) and the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) of the United Nations both reported that the Congolese authorities had distributed wanted posters and reward offers in April 2004 for information leading to the arrest of Gédéon Gerengba, a.k.a. "Moïse," and Alengbi Mbangui, a.k.a. "Alpha Jephte" (AFP 8 Apr. 2004; IRIN 9 Apr. 2004). Both men were reportedly officers of late Mobutu Sese Seko's elite forces and were thought to be the "leaders of an armed group that attacked government civil and military facilities" on 28 March 2004 (ibid.; see also AFP 8 Apr. 2004). According to IRIN, the amount of the reward was US$5,000 (IRIN 9 Apr. 2004). In June 2004, the government incriminated two other former members of Mobutu Sese Sekou's elite armed forces, the Special Presidential Division (Division spéciale présidentielle, DSP): Colonel Dongo and Lieutenant Bobo Toromina, a.k.a. "Serga" (AFP 23 June 2004). IRIN corroborated that the Congolese authorities had identified the masterminds behind the March coup attempt in June 2004 (IRIN 24 June 2004). However, the same source reported that they numbered 13 in all and, although they were officially identified as being mostly military and former presidential guards under Mobutu Sese Seko, their names were not specified (ibid.).

During a 27 August 2004 telephone interview, the president of ASADHO provided the following information on the arrests in relation to the 28 March 2004 failed coup d'état. Of the 88 people originally arrested in relation to the attempted coup, 6 were released. The 82 who remain in custody are members of the military and are being detained at the Kinshasa Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Centre (Centre pénitentiaire et de rééducation de Kinshasa, CPRK), formerly known as Makala Prison. The number of detainees has been implicitly corroborated by the Congolese authorities: [translation] " . . . ten of the assailants appeared at a press conference this Wednesday. . . . Some 72 others are being detained at Kinshasa Central Prison" (AFP 23 June 2004.). This number supposedly reflects [translation] "almost all of the armed forces" implicated in the events of 28 March 2004 (ibid.). IRIN, however, indicated that only 72 people were taken into custody (IRIN 24 June 2004).

The government claims that the prisoners are former members of the DSP and the political police affiliated with the late president Mobutu Sese Seko (AFP 23 June 2004). Various sources corroborated the theory that Mobutu supporters were behind the attack (AFP 8 Apr. 2004; Keesing's Record of World Events Mar. 2004; Africa Research Bulletin 22 Apr. 2004; Associated Press 29 Mar. 2004; Mail & Guardian 29 Mar. 2004; IRIN 29 Mar. 2004; Jeune Afrique/L'intelligent 4 Apr. 2004). Only the Congolese newspaper Le Soft offered a contradictory point of view, claiming that the true mastermind behind the coup attempt was President Joseph Kabila (6 May 2004). Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent also offered the theory that the coup was orchestrated from within the government as a possible explanation for the events of the 28 March 2004, but the publication did not say whether or not this was indeed true (4 Apr. 2004).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Africa Research Bulletin. [London]. 22 April 2004. Vol. 41, No. 3. "Democratic Republic of Congo: Attempted Coup."

Afrik.Com. 29 March 2004. Octave Kambale Juakali. "Coup de force à Kinshasa : l'ancienne garde de Mobutu se réveille." [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]

Agence France Presse (AFP). 23 June 2004. "Tentative de coup de force du 28 mars : des ex-officiers de Mobutu mis en cause." (Courrier AFP)
_____. . 8 April 2004 "Avis de recherche contre deux anciens sous-officiers de Mobutu." (Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent) [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]

Associated Press (AP). 29 March 2004. "Congo Quashes Apparent Coup Bid." (Washington Post) [Accessed 24 Aug. 2004]

Association africaine de défense des droits de l'homme (ASADHO), Kinshasa. 27 August 2004. Telephone interview with the president.

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). 24 June 2004. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "DRC: Government Names Suspects in March Coup Attempt." [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]
_____. . 9 April 2004. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "DRC: Government offers US $5,000 Bounty for Capture of Attackers." [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]
_____. . 29 March 2004. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "DRC: Government United and in Control, Minister Says.." [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]

Jeune Afrique/L'Intelligent. 4 April 2004. Jean-Dominique Geslin. "Questions sur un putsch manqué ." [Accessed 24 Aug. 2004]

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. March 2004. Vol. 50, No. 4. "Democratic Republic of Congo: Failed Coup Attempt."

Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg]. 29 March 2004. "Mobutu Loyalists in DRC Coup Attempt." [Accessed 29 Mar. 2004]

Radio France internationale (RFI). 28 March 2004. Didier Samson. "Des bases militaires attaquées." [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]

Le Soft. 6 May 2004. T. Matotu. "De toutes pièces, Kabila a 'monté' son coup d'État." [Accessed 30 Aug. 2004]

United Nations. 29 March 2004. Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). Tom Tshibangu. DRC Monitoring. [Accessed 25 Aug. 2004]

Additional Sources Consulted

Publications: Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, Amnesty International (AI), BBC, DigitalCongo.net, Ecoi.net, International Crisis Group.