Justice - DR Congo coup suspects appear in South African court. The Pretoria Magistrate’s court on Thursday formally charged 19 DR Congo rebels with plotting to stage a coup in their home country.
South African State prosecutor Shaun Abrahams informed the court that “the rebels intended to unseat President (Joseph) Kabila unconstitutionally”, saying they are members of the Union of Nationalists for the Renewal (UNR) of the DRC.
The men were arrested by a crack South African Police counter terrorism unit in the Limpopo province on Tuesday.
The charges relate to transgressing the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998.
They were remanded in police custody and ordered to return to court on 14 February.
Apart from one US citizen who has been identified as James Kazongo, the rebels are all DRC citizens. It is unclear how they entered South Africa.
Pana 07/02/2013