Rwandan President Paul Kagame has warned that Africa may experience even more military coups in the coming years, arguing that many of the recent takeovers reflect deeper failures of leadership across the continent.
Speaking during a news conference at Village Urugwiro, Kagame said that some coups are inevitable when leaders disregard the concerns of their citizens and prioritise foreign interests, particularly those in the West.
Kagame told The New Times of Rwanda that coups rarely happen without cause. He noted that in most cases they point to long standing political or governance problems that had been ignored. According to him, the wave of military takeovers witnessed in recent years is evidence of that.
The continent has seen leaders overthrown in Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Sudan, while several other coup attempts have been foiled. The ouster of Guinea Bissau’s Umaro Sissoco Embalo earlier this week was the tenth successful power grab in five years.
The President said that some of the recent events challenge narratives promoted by Western governments that have publicly praised leaders who were later removed by their own militaries. Kagame maintained that not all coups are the same, saying analysts must look beyond the surface.
He distinguished between reckless military adventurism and uprisings driven by public anger toward leaders seen as corrupt or disconnected from their people. In his view, coups linked to genuine grievances can be understood, even if they remain controversial.
Kagame added that he does not fear being misunderstood for his stance, saying he is prepared to defend it. However, he stressed that any military group that seizes power must demonstrate that it intends to correct the failures that triggered the takeover.
Real change, he argued, is the only measure that can justify such dramatic political action.
