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.

The three Americans convicted for participating in a botched coup attempt in Congo last year have been repatriated to the United States, officials say.

The men recently had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment for their role in an attempted coup last May in the central African nation.