Leader of Failed Congolese Coup, Former Utah Car Dealer, Killed During Attack
Christian Malanga, the slain leader of a failed coup attempt to overthrow the Congolese president, had a history in the United States as a car dealer in Utah. Malanga, 41, was killed during an attack on the presidential palace after he resisted arrest, the Democratic Republic of Congo army spokesperson confirmed on Sunday.
The short-lived uprising resulted in six deaths, including four attackers. According to an online biography, Malanga moved to the US with his family as a teen refugee in the late 1990s, resettling in Salt Lake City, Utah. This move, he said, "changed Mr. Malanga’s life." He was a father of eight and worked as a car dealer before returning to the Congo to fight rebels and later ran for office to combat government corruption.
Malanga claimed he was arrested on "bogus charges" in 2011 and returned to the US the following year, where he founded the United Congolese Party. He cited President John F. Kennedy’s famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” as inspiration for his political movement.
Despite his political ambitions, Malanga faced numerous legal problems. At 18, he was convicted in Utah for assault with a firearm, resulting in a 30-day jail sentence in 2001. Later that year, he faced domestic violence charges, which were dismissed. In 2004, another domestic violence charge was also dismissed. He was also embroiled in child custody and support disputes.
Malanga declared himself the "President of New Zaire" in exile and had previously threatened to overthrow the Congo government on social media. He called off a coup attempt in 2017. The recent coup attempt ended abruptly with Malanga's death and the arrest of 50 perpetrators, including three Americans.
Among those arrested was Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, who had followed his father to Africa. Marcel’s mother, Brittney Sawyer, expressed her distress on Facebook, calling Marcel "an innocent boy following his father."
Another American captured was Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, connected to Malanga through a gold mining company founded in Mozambique in 2022. Zalman-Polun, who also started a commodity trading business and worked as an Uber driver, has a criminal history. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to federal drug trafficking charges for sending at least 20 kilograms of marijuana across the US.
The Congolese army also identified Patrick Ducey and Taylor Thomson, noting they were the same person using "two different identities." The army spokesperson mentioned they would verify his passport.
Singapore's Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the government would provide assistance to the passengers and their families.
