New Zaire (government in exile)

The New Zaire Government in Exile (Le gouvernement du Nouveau Zaïre en exil) is a self-proclaimed alternative government for the Democratic Republic of the Congo that was established by Congolese opposition politician Christian Malanga of the United Congolese Party in May 2017.

Establishment
Malanga founded the United Congolese Party (UCP) in 2012 in the United States. On 17 May 2017, Malanga established the New Zaire Government in Exile in Brussels, Belgium, and proclaimed himself to be the President of New Zaire. The Democratic Republic of the Congo previously used the name "Zaire" between 1971 and 1997, during the rule of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and New Zaire uses the national flag from this period.

2024 failed coup attempt
Forces loyal to the New Zaire Government in Exile attempted to overthrow the Congolese government on 19 May 2024. The attempted coup was quickly suppressed by security forces, with Malanga being killed and his 21-year-old son Marcel being captured in the process. Due to the ability for the plotters to easily smuggle arms and ammunition into the DRC, as well as their ease at accessing important government buildings, the Lutte pour le changement assessed that Congolese intelligence was either involved in the coup attempt, or utterly inept. A number of foreign individuals, including at least three American citizens, and one British citizen, was involved in the coup alongside members of the New Zaire Government in Exile.

The coup came during a crisis in sitting president Félix Tshisekedi's Union for Democracy and Social Progress party failing to form a governing coalition and naming a speaker of parliament. During the coup, Malanga uploaded a video to his personal Facebook account inside the Palace of the Nation saying "Felix, you’re out. We are coming for you."

Activities
The New Zaire Government in Exile maintains a website where it details plans including creating business opportunities and reforming Congo's security services. As of 25 May 2024, the website still refers to Malanga as President of New Zaire despite the fact that he died on 19 May 2024.

Photos on Facebook and the website show Malanga meeting then-senior American Republican representatives Rob Bishop and Peter King. Bishop has stated that he does not recall the meeting and couldn't tell when the photo was taken.

A DRC army spokesmen Sylvain Ekenge claimed that Malanga and the New Zaire Government in Exile had previously planned a coup in 2017 but that it was aborted in its early stages.

Dino Mahtani, an independent researcher into African issues and former political adviser to the United Nations in Congo, reported that Malanga was obsessed with capturing some form of power in Congo and in 2018 Congolese authorities suspected that he was involved in a purported plot to kill then-President Joseph Kabila.