US student asked pals to Congo to ‘dig wells’ but trip was for coup bid

The attempt to overthrow DRC president Felix Tshisekedi failed. Photo: AP

Ben Farmer
© Telegraph.co.uk

The son of an eccentric American coup leader who joined his father in trying to overthrow the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s president had asked friends from his school football team to accompany him to the country.

Marcel Malanga invited friends in the US by telling them they would either be digging wells in the central African nation or joining him on a family holiday.