Unconventional Diplomacy: Inside a Secret U.S. Mission to the Congo That Nearly Ended in Arrest

Kinshasa/Washington, July 12 – A shadow diplomatic mission involving a controversial mix of private individuals and former U.S. officials quietly unfolded in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year. What began as an ambitious attempt to secure the release of three American prisoners on death row quickly unraveled into a near-diplomatic crisis—exposing the Trump administration’s willingness to bypass traditional channels in pursuit of foreign policy goals.

In March, Israeli-American businessman Moti Kahana, decorated former Green Beret Justin Sapp, and ex-State Department official Stuart Seldowitz arrived in Kinshasa claiming to represent interests of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Their objective: to deliver a message to Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi offering a transactional proposal—release three Americans convicted of plotting a coup, and in return, Trump would support Congo’s minerals-for-security deal with the United States.

According to exclusive interviews conducted by Reuters with the three men, a U.S. State Department official, and Congolese insiders, the mission was ill-fated from the outset. What started with a police escort from the airport ended in panic and a hasty departure under diplomatic protection, with the trio fearing arrest.

A Transactional Offer from Washington

The core of the mission was shaped in January, when Kahana met President Tshisekedi at the World Economic Forum in Davos and warned him of an alleged coup plot involving Israelis. Kahana handed over a list of names to the Congolese leader, though Reuters could not confirm whether the plot was credible.

Shortly afterward, Kahana approached U.S. officials with a broader plan. At stake were three Americans sentenced to death in September 2024 for involvement in a failed coup attempt in May that year. While both the Biden and Trump administrations had quietly lobbied for their release, diplomatic traction was minimal.

Hoping to break the deadlock, State Department officials tentatively endorsed Kahana’s outreach, recognizing that unconventional emissaries might have access where formal envoys did not. “We thought they had enough sway to talk to the right people,” said Dustin Stewart, Trump’s deputy special envoy for hostage affairs. “Obviously, that proved incorrect.”

A Mission Derails

Accompanying Kahana were Sapp, a veteran of early U.S. operations in Afghanistan, and Seldowitz, a former diplomat with a controversial past. The three hoped their combination of experience, connections, and diplomatic appeal would open doors. But on their first night in Kinshasa, a frosty midnight reception with President Tshisekedi’s security adviser, Desire-Cashmir Kolongele Eberande, signaled trouble.

Eberande reportedly questioned the group’s authority to speak on behalf of Trump. To calm suspicions, Stewart sent an email confirming the State Department was aware of the visit, but the damage had been done.

Later, a visit to a military compound for dinner with an Israeli security contractor turned problematic. After dinner, Kahana and Sapp participated in a shooting exercise—an incident that set off alarms among Congolese intelligence services, who suspected an attack was imminent. General Franck Ntumba, head of the presidential guard—and notably, a figure Kahana had earlier named as a coup conspirator—soon appeared at their hotel, demanding their passports.

A swift intervention by the U.S. embassy helped defuse the situation. Embassy staff escorted the men to the airport, but even then, they were briefly detained at passport control before being allowed to board an Air France flight to Paris.

“It was like a movie,” recalled a source close to the group. “It’s good to be American in moments like this.”

A Mixed Outcome

Despite the botched diplomacy, the mission appears to have achieved its underlying goals. In April, President Tshisekedi commuted the death sentences of the three American prisoners—Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson, and Benjamin Zalman-Polun—to life imprisonment. They were soon transferred to the United States, where they now face charges related to conspiracy to carry out a coup in Congo.

“That was the outcome we were looking for,” Stewart confirmed.

In a broader diplomatic breakthrough, Congo and Rwanda signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement in June aimed at ending years of violence in the mineral-rich eastern regions. Former President Trump later claimed the deal would secure substantial mineral rights for the United States.

A Glimpse Into Trump-Era Diplomacy

This previously unreported episode reveals a clear break from conventional diplomacy, one defined by high-stakes improvisation, unofficial envoys, and transactional foreign policy.

“Trump made it clear from the start that his approach would be purely transactional,” said Ebenezer Obadare, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “He’s not interested in following the traditional diplomatic playbook.”

Whether the ends justified the means remains open to debate. But for now, the mission—despite its flaws—contributed to both the release of American citizens and a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a region critical to global mineral supply chains.