By David Himbara
Rwandan head of state Paul Kagame who famously stands for African solutions to African problems is seeking global relevancy
Rwandan head of state Paul Kagame likes to preach to Africa that “Solutions to Africa’s problems cannot be imported.” Kagame, therefore, categorically rejects the West’s involvement in African affairs, insisting that Africans must solve their problems. Kagame has now changed his tune. He wants the United States to intervene in Ethiopia’s internal conflict involving the federal government and the regional elites in the Tigray region. The September 2020 election in Tigray, which the federal government had postponed nationwide because of Covid19, is widely considered to be the cause of the Ethiopia-Tigray conflict. The dispute between the two levels of government is what led to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to launch a military offensive after accusing Tigrayan forces of seizing a military base in the regional capital, Mekelle.
Kagame says it is time for the Americans and others to intervene in Ethiopia. What might be driving Kagame’s U-turn on the West’s intervention in African affairs? There can be only one explanation – political opportunism. Formerly one of the American favourite strongmen on the African continent, Kagame fell out of favour during the Donald Trump presidency. Kagame is now scheming to gain relevance to President Joe Biden’s administration.
