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Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter

THE Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has condemned the attempted coup d’etat in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday.

The leader of an attempted coup on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been killed and some 50 people including three American citizens arrested, a spokesperson for the Central African country’s army has said.

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

Another attack took place at the nearby home of Vital Kamerhe, a member of parliament who is tipped to become speaker, Kamerhe’s spokesperson, Michel Moto Muhima, and the Japanese ambassador said in posts on Twitter/X.

In a statement, SADC said they condemn in the strongest terms the coup attempt and commended the DRC army for foiling the insurgency.

“The Southern African Development Community (SADC) conciemns in its strongest terms the attempted coup cretat that happened on 19 May 2024 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), after gunmen tried to attack the homes of senior officials of the DRC government including that of President Felix Tshisekedi.
While condemning this act of violence, SADC wishes to extend its appreciation to the DRC army for having arrested the perpetrators and ceased any escalation that could have occurred from this unfortunate incident,” read the statement.

SADC, the statement said, is guided by the Protocol on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, which aims to promote peace and security in the region, protect the region’s people from instability due to the breakdown of law and order, develop a common foreign policy for the region, and cooperate on matters related to security and defence.

Based on this, SADC urged Member States to adhere to this Protocol and encouraged the international community to continue supporting the DRC people.