Overview

• Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun were repatriated to the U.S. following their involvement in a failed May 2024 coup in DR Congo.
• The individuals had been sentenced to death but saw their sentences commuted to life imprisonment last week before being transferred to U.S. custody.
• Marcel Malanga, son of opposition figure Christian Malanga, claimed he was coerced into participating in the coup led by his father, who was killed during the attempt.
• The repatriation aligns with ongoing U.S.-DR Congo negotiations over a minerals-for-security partnership, with the U.S. seeking access to DR Congo's vast mineral reserves.
• This move underscores strengthened judicial diplomacy between the two nations and highlights the complexities of international legal cooperation.