Rwanda’s president says he’ll run for a fourth term and doesn’t care what the West thinks about it

By IGNATIUS SSUUNA and CARA ANNA
Associated Press

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — Rwanda’s president says he will run for a fourth term next year and that “what the West thinks is not my problem,” after the United States and others criticized the earlier lifting of term limits to extend his rule. President Paul Kagame made the announcement in an interview with a French-language publication. The 65-year-old Kagame has been president since 2000 and was declared the winner of the previous election in 2017 with more than 98% of the vote. He has been the de facto leader since Rwanda’s 1994 genocide. He is one of a number of African leaders who have prolonged their rule by pursuing changes to term limits. Kagame could stay in power until 2034.