Trump Envoys’ Congo Deal Collapses After Death Row Mission Sparks Chaos
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Why Did a Secret U.S. Mission to Congo Go Wrong?
In March, a three-man team arrived in Kinshasa with what they believed was a green light from Washington: release three Americans sentenced to death, and President Donald Trump would back Congo’s bid for security assistance in exchange for mineral access. The trio, Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana, former Green Beret Justin Sapp, and ex-diplomat Stuart Seldowitz, were welcomed with a police escort but left two days later under pressure, fearing arrest.
Their mission had powerful backing. Dustin Stewart, Trump’s deputy special envoy for hostage affairs, later confirmed: “We want to work with folks who have the right connections… That proved incorrect.”
The three Americans had been convicted in 2024 for a failed coup attempt. Negotiations for their release had gone nowhere until Kahana, fresh from a January chat with President Felix Tshisekedi in Davos, tried a new route through unofficial diplomacy.
Who Were the Men Behind the Failed Congo Deal?
Kahana, known for high-profile rescue efforts, brought on Sapp for security expertise and Seldowitz for diplomatic access. Despite Seldowitz’s controversial past, he faced hate crime charges in 2023, later dismissed; they believed their credentials could open doors. But a late-night meeting with Tshisekedi’s adviser, Desire-Cashmir Kolongele Eberande, raised red flags. “We didn’t pass the sniff test,” Sapp admitted.
Their problems escalated when they joined an Israeli contractor for dinner on a military compound, ending with Kahana and Sapp taking part in a shooting session. Congo’s intelligence service, alarmed by the gunfire, suspected a plot to attack the presidential palace.
General Franck Ntumba, whom Kahana had previously accused of coup-plotting, showed up at their hotel, demanding their passports. The U.S. embassy swiftly intervened. “I thought, wow, it’s good to be American in this situation. It was like a movie,” an Israeli-French arms dealer present recalled.
Did the U.S. Achieve Its Goals in the Congo?
Though the mission collapsed, it wasn’t all for nothing. Stewart said, “Reinforcing the message that it was important to find a positive resolution helped us.” In April, Tshisekedi commuted the Americans’ death sentences to life imprisonment. A few weeks later, they were extradited to the U.S. and charged with conspiring to overthrow the Congolese government.
“As you’ve seen, the three were pardoned and released,” Stewart confirmed. “That was the outcome that we were looking for.”
In June, Congo and Rwanda signed a peace agreement brokered by the U.S., promising to ease tensions in the mineral-rich east. “We’re getting, for the United States, a lot of the mineral rights from the Congo as part of it,” Trump announced.
Even though the original mission unraveled in chaos, it ultimately served its purpose, just not the way anyone had planned.
By Yockshard Enyendi
