Army chief in DRC coup attempt

Army chief in DRC coup attempt

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By Agencies
21/06/2005

PRESIDENT Joseph Kabila's government in the Democratic Republic of Congo fired its army chief of staff on Sunday, saying the move was part of its investigation into a failed June 11 coup attempt.

Information Minister Vital Kamerhe gave no specific reason for the firing of Admiral Liwanga Mata, beyond saying it was part of the government's probe into the attempt.

However, Mata had been mentioned by the alleged ringleader of the coup, Major Eric Lenge, a former trusted top presidential guard.

Lenge briefly took over state broadcasting in the early morning of June 11, announcing he was ``neutralizing'' Kabila's 14-month-old postwar, power-share government.

The attempt ended within hours, with about 20 soldiers arrested and Lenge fleeing.

Lenge, in his communique on state radio during the attempt, had mentioned Mata by rank but not name, saying the army chief of staff had been aware of his plans.

Opposition figures, diplomats and Congolese citizens have expressed skepticism about the coup attempt, questioning how Lenge managed to escape a surrounded military base. The government has yet to announce his arrest, and his whereabouts are unclear.

Congo says its investigation is continuing.

Kabila leads an interim administration assembled from loyalists, former rebels and opposition figures after Congo's 1998-2002 war.

The war saw neighboring Rwanda and Uganda back Congolese rebels in a bid to overthrow Congo's government, which hung on only through the support of the armies of the southern nations of Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia. An estimated 3.3 million people died, most through hunger and disease.
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