British national transferred to UK after DRC coup plot conviction

Kinshasa, April 2, 2026 - A British citizen, Youssouf Ezangi, has been transferred from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United Kingdom following his conviction in a high-profile coup plot case.

Ezangi was among 37 individuals convicted for their alleged role in an attempted overthrow of President Félix Tshisekedi linked to events in May 2024 involving Christian Malanga.

Initially sentenced to death alongside several foreign nationals, including U.S. citizens Tyler Thomson and Benjamin Zalman-Polun, his sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment following international diplomatic pressure.

Authorities in Kinshasa confirmed that Ezangi was transferred on March 31, 2026, under a judicial cooperation agreement between the DRC and the United Kingdom, with the presence of British Embassy officials during the handover.

Officials say the arrangement allows him to serve the remainder of his sentence in the UK.

The move follows earlier decisions in which other foreign convicts were pardoned or repatriated to their home countries after diplomatic negotiations.