Uganda reports deaths from ‘starvation’ in remote northeast

On Thursday, the Ugandan authorities reported that they had recorded deaths “caused by starvation” in the remote Karamoja region, northeast of the country, which is a drought-stricken area.

“As a government, we recognize the famine situation in Karamoja, where we have reports of starvation deaths,” Prime Minister Rubina Nabanga’s spokesman told AFP after a meeting with elected officials from the region.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not give figures, but announced the shipment of 200 metric tons of aid and the mobilization of 135,000 Ugandan shillings (36 million euros) for the purchase of food for the region in the next three months.

According to a local deputy, the number of deaths may exceed a hundred in this remote border region with Kenya and South Sudan.

The area has suffered for years from floods, landslides and locust plague. There are also frequent raids by cattle rustlers in that area.

“The situation in Karamoja is worse than expected, with hundreds killed so far and many waiting to starve,” MP Faith Nkote of the district who attended the meeting with the prime minister on Wednesday told AFP.

There are at least 518,000 people in dire need of food aid in the region, according to the joint food security assessment report released by the Ugandan government and the United Nations on May 31.

gm-sva / cl / sag / eg