Congo president appeals for calm after apparent coup attempt

CONGO President Joseph Kabila has appealed for calm and promised that security forces would protect the country’s people after armed groups attacked military installations across the capital in an apparent coup attempt.

There were no reports of fighting in Kinshasa yesterday, a day after gun and mortar battles between loyalist troops and the attackers raged in the city. Diplomats called it a coup attempt against Kabila's year-old power-sharing government, blaming fighters loyal to late Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.

It was the most serious attack on President Kabila's government since the end of Congo's five-year war, which caused the deaths of up to three million people through violence, disease and starvation. Kabila appeared on state television late on Sunday to say order had been restored. Looking relaxed, the Congo leader was flanked by his four vice presidents in the power-sharing government, which is trying to regain control over lawless areas in the east and north of a country.