‘Africa should’ve fought foreign powers in Libya’ – Uganda’s Museveni regrets inaction

Ugandan president, Yoweri Museveni, has spoken about what he believes was the indecisiveness on the part of the rest of the continent when foreigners invaded Muammar al-Gaddafi‘s Libya in 2011.

On the sidelines of the UK-Africa Summit in London, Museveni spoke to the BBC where he also regretted Africa’s inaction after violence broke out in the North African country in 2010.

“We should have intervened. We tried diplomatically but we could have intervened even militarily. Africa should have intervened and taught those people (attackers) a lesson. Libya was an African country being attacked by foreign powers.

“This was the first failure. Who are these people to come and discuss about Libya, Africa? I was told that Africa was not even invited; the president of Congo was invited later on,” said Museveni.

He added, “Africa failed to protect Libya because it was like a surprise attack. I did not believe that anybody could be so stupid to attack an African country that way.

“We were not prepared and we have not had time because we have been scattered but the potential is there. If Africa wants to chase the invaders, we can chase them. We defeated the Portuguese, the Boers who were backed by all sorts of foreigners.”

President Museveni also explained that although he believed Gaddafi “had his own issues”, the way to deal with him was never to leave him at the mercy of NATO allies.

Libya is currently being governed by the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli.