CONGO: Gunfire and explosions rocked the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, yesterday morning, as renegade soldiers made a failed attempt to overthrow the transitional government led by President Joseph Kabila.
Fighting erupted around the presidential mansion, the national radio station and a military camp in the early morning hours, led by dissidents from the presidential guard.
But by mid-morning the government had quelled the coup and President Kabila appeared on state television to reassure the nation that he remained in control.
"Stay calm, prepare yourself to resist because I will allow nobody to try a coup d'etat or to throw off course our peace process," said the 32-year-old president, wearing a military uniform.
"As for me, I'm fine," he added, apparently in reference to speculation that he had been caught up in the gunfire.
The attempted putsch was the second major blow to the authority of the Kabila-led transitional government, formed last June to end Congo's devastating five-year war.
Eleven days ago a a separate group of renegades seized control of the eastern city of Bukavu, sending government forces fleeing for the surrounding hills. The army regained the city on Monday, but by then serious damage had already been done to the fragile peace process. The turmoil sparked furious anti-United Nations protests, eroded confidence in Mr Kabila, and raised fears of a fresh war, possibly with neighbouring Rwanda.
Yesterday's violence further buffeted the government. By early afternoon the army said it had surrounded the alleged ringleader, Major Eric Lenge, near Ndjili airport, 16 miles from Kinshasa.
"\ was trying to flee with a few people and two jeeps," Kabila spokesman Kadura Kasongo said. "We will neutralise him."
Diplomats said Maj Lenge had contacted the British and US embassies to help negotiate his surrender.
The attempted coup started after midnight on Thursday when the dissidents seized control of the national radio station and cut the electricity supply to the capital. Maj Lenge appeared on state radio to declare that his forces had "neutralised" the transitional government.
He urged the army to join him to prevent turning Kinshasa "into a battlefield".