There is also a perception that African armies are outsize and eat up too much of the state budgets.

In general, African militaries are not like this.' One example is the Rwandan army, which has won international respect for its discipline and efficiency. 'This is, however, a false representation. Some armies are accused of corruption and misuse of resources, Nan Tian, a senior researcher at SIPRI, told DW. The reasons are manifold, including underfunding, which is often revealed when armies need to combat insurgents, as seen in Nigeria and Mozambique. In addition, armies are to blame for military coups backed by political actors, as happened in Mali, Guinea, and Sudan. Many African armies suffer from a bad reputation. They are often poorly trained and ineffective. This places African armies at the center of events - and under scrutiny.

According to a study by the Stockholm-based International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), out of a total of 49 sub-Saharan African states, at least 20 were involved in some armed conflict in 2020.

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