Three American citizens who were sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over a failed coup attempt have had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The announcement was made by a spokeswoman for President Félix Tshisekedi, signaling a shift in the country’s approach to the high-profile case.

The three Americans were among several individuals sentenced to death last September after being accused of participating in a May 2024 attack on the Congolese government. The alleged coup leader, Christian Malanga, was killed while resisting arrest, while his son, Marcel Malanga, was taken into custody along with his high school friend, Tyler Thompson, and Christian Malanga’s business associate, Benjamin Zalman-Polun. All three men, who are U.S. citizens, have now been granted “individual clemency.”

This development coincides with heightened U.S. diplomatic engagement in the region. The U.S. State Department recently announced the appointment of Massad Boulos as a senior adviser for Africa. Boulos is scheduled to travel to Congo on Thursday, followed by visits to neighboring countries, including Rwanda, in a bid to facilitate peace efforts in eastern DRC and promote U.S. private-sector investments in the region.

Mr. Boulos, a senior adviser to former U.S. President Donald Trump, has strong ties to Africa, having spent much of his career in Nigeria as the chief executive of a family business dealing in trucks and heavy machinery. Notably, his son is married to one of Mr. Trump’s daughters, adding another layer of political significance to his appointment.

As tensions continue to simmer in the region, the clemency granted to the three Americans could be seen as a strategic move by the Congolese government, potentially aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties with the United States amid ongoing security and economic challenges.