Three Americans who were initially sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for their involvement in a failed coup attempt have been transferred to the United States to serve the remainder of their sentences.

The trio — 21-year-old Marcel Malanga, son of Congolese opposition figure Christian Malanga; his friend, 21-year-old Tyler Thompson Jr.; and 36-year-old Zalman Polun Benjamin — were moved following diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and DR Congo.

The three Americans were among 37 sentenced to death by a military Their death sentences had earlier been commuted to life imprisonment.

This development follows high-level discussions between both nations, which reportedly covered issues of security cooperation and mineral resource agreements. DR Congo is estimated to hold trillions of dollars’ worth of untapped mineral wealth, much of which is currently exploited by Chinese mining companies.

Meanwhile, Jean-Jacques Wondo, a dual Congolese and Belgian national who was also sentenced to death over the same coup attempt, was transferred to Belgium in February due to ill health.

Christian Malanga, the alleged leader of the coup plot and a U.S. citizen of Congolese origin, was killed during the attack.