African leaders who sell out their neighbours for temporary Western alliances should keep in mind that once their new ‘friends’ turn against them, there is no going back. Take Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, who bet everything on his Western backers, using proxy militias such as M23 to destabilise the DRC and loot its minerals. But now the tide is turning. The US imposed sanctions on a Rwandan government minister while the UK and Germany suspended new financial commitments as well as ceased attending events hosted by the Rwandan government. Kigali is no longer untouchable. Perhaps Kagame should have focused on fostering ties with his Congolese neighbours rather than attacking and robbing them to please his fake friends. Now he’s learning the hard way – Western interests are never about friendship, only exploitation.
