A Ugandan minister is facing criticism after calling people starving in his country "idiots".
Many consider Henry Okelo Oriemo's comments insensitive.
During 2022, more than 2.200 people died of starvation and related diseases in northeastern Uganda, according to a report by an official human rights organization.
Oriem, however, says that people should be able to grow food for their own needs, taking into account favorable climate conditions and fertile land.
"Only an idiot, but a real idiot, can starve to death in Uganda." he shouted Minister of Foreign Affairs for local television.
"There is enough arable land in Uganda. The climate is good despite climate change.
"If you make an effort to get up early in the morning, go to the field, plant seeds, tend the field, then how can you run out of food?".
- The Kenyan cult leader is responsible for mass murder and terrorism due to starvation
- From borrowed sneakers to world records: The incredible story of Kelvin Kiptum
- "We don't wear Rolex, we eat it"
In Uganda, many people have died of hunger, and half a million people in the northeast of the country do not have enough food, according to a report by the Human Rights Commission in Uganda.
The minister's comments sparked outrage.
Mosis Aleper, the representative of the authorities in Chekwi district, which is part of the threatened region, told the BBC that the minister's views are wrong and that "it is not good that such comments come from a man who is in a position where he should know what is happening in the country ".
"I am from one of the most fertile parts of Karamoy, where there is enough rainfall and we make food.
"But when the weather fails us, when weather disasters happen, then we can't produce it in sufficient quantities and then famine occurs."
Aleper says that hunger in this region is often caused by problems that humans cannot influence, such as climate change.
Charles Oniango-Obo, a prominent Ugandan writer and journalist, also criticized Oriemo, saying the minister failed to understand that hunger in a country like Uganda is a market problem.
Official data on food availability in the Karamoja region is not available.
Residents of this area often face starvation during periods without rainfall due to the semi-arid climate.
Watch the video: Famine and death in Ethiopia
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter i Viber. If you have a topic proposal for us, contact us at bbcnasrpskom@bbc.co.uk
Bonus video:
