A president vanishes and the whole system falls apart. A small boy in the Ngoubi tribe, Marien Ngoubi, grew up to be a captain in the Congo-Brazzaville army. Then the conspiracy was uncovered and Ngoubi was sent to the provinces. However, people in the Ngoubi tribe rose against the decision and staged a protest in Brazzaville. This is how the June 28 crisis began in the state of Congo-Brazzaville, in which the army tried to take control of the country.
Presidential travel is always a risky business in Africa.
On June 28, incited by the Ngoubi demonstrators, the army rode into town to seize power. The government hid in the stadium. Brazzaville has a well-built stadium, which can be locked and is hard to capture unless you bring ladders with you. It was defended by President Massemba's personal guard, consisting of eighty-three Fidel Castro Cubans. These eighty-three Cubans faced off against both the Ngoubi demonstrators and the Congo army numbering more than 3,000 soldiers.