Three Americans who were facing execution in the Democratic Republic of Congo for a botched coup attempt were returned to U.S. custody amid progress in talks to grant Americans access to rare minerals in the country.

Three Americans convicted on charges of participating in a botched coup attempt in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year have been repatriated to the United States days after the country commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment,

Three American citizens jailed over a failed coup attempt in Democratic Republic of Congo were handed over to U.S. custody on Tuesday, officials said, following high-level talks between the two countries on security and mining deals,