Wamuzi News Ke
In a very theatrical and unprecedented declaration, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has proclaimed that Africa—even though it has the world’s strongest powers over it—could “win” the U.S. if the struggle goes to land, thereby creating a new discussion about the continent’s strategic security, which is heavily influenced by the U.S.-Venezuela conflict.
Museveni’s remarks were made during a meeting with the youth and media influencers in Kampala and coincided with U.S. strikes in Venezuela and President Nicolás Maduro’s arrest in a massive operation that has affected places from Latin America to Africa. According to the Ugandan president, the whole scenario reveals the weakness of the continent’s disunited military stance.
“Such an event should be considered as a wake-up call,” said Museveni, who claimed that Africa’s inability to form a united defense and political integration is the main factor that makes it prone to external military pressure. He also said that while the world powers have air, sea, and space superiority, ground fighting changes the strategic calculus dramatically.
Museveni, the head of the Non-Aligned Movement, capitalized on the Venezuela crisis’s implications to promote his continuous demand for a stronger regional unity that should be based on the East African Federation. He cautioned that minor states, which do not have a “center of gravity” for collective security, are always in danger of being overwhelmed by the interventions of great powers.
“Museveni stated that the Americans possess great power in the air and at sea, but if they get too close on land, even we can inflict damage on them,” thereby voicing the need for Africa to establish the integrated land, sea, air, and space capabilities to protect the sovereignty.
The comments come at a time when political tension in Uganda is escalating rapidly with the approaching general election of 2026. The opposition has accused Museveni of diverting attention from political repression at home with the use of foreign policy threats, while human rights groups are pointing out that the security crackdowns on dissent are increasing.
Analysts in the region are of the opinion that Museveni’s rhetoric can be interpreted as both a shift in strategy toward multipolar alliances and an effort to rally the nationalistic support. The president’s storyline links the external military happenings with the internal divisions of the continent, thus increasing the discussion around Africa’s defense strategy and political unity as the global power rivalries are deepening.
The consequences for the East African geopolitics are big, and the observers are closely monitoring how Museveni’s statements will impact the regional security cooperation and the overall continental response to the external threats.
