By 
Former President Edgar Lungu has urged President Hakainde Hichilema to avoid falling into “denial mode” regarding the current food crisis.
Lungu had accused Hichilema’s administration of exacerbating the situation through poor leadership.
On Thursday, Lungu took to Facebook to claim that the government had been forewarned about the 2022 drought while Zambia still had strategic maize reserves from the Patriotic Front administration.
He criticized Hichilema for allegedly rejecting expert advice against exporting maize, attributing it to arrogance and a “know-it-all” attitude.
“We are in this food crisis mainly because the current administration exported all our emergency food stocks, leaving no reserves for our people to feed on in times of drought like these today,” Lungu stated.
Lungu pointed out that during a recent press briefing, President Hichilema missed an opportunity to apologize to Zambians for the exportation of maize reserves and the resultant starvation. He described this decision as prioritizing commerce over human life, calling it ethically inhumane.
“When he addressed the nation, our president needed to share practical solutions to the current food crisis and disastrous drought,” Lungu said.
He further claimed that while six million Zambians faced starvation for the first time in nearly sixty years, President Hichilema was dramatizing the crisis and mocking citizens by stating he was not a magician who could feed them.
Lungu condemned this as a gesture of cruelty, especially from a leader who had criticized the Patriotic Front’s efforts to ensure food security and made empty promises in 2021.
“In 2026, Zambians must bring back leaders who not only care for them but also respect human life and possess the experience to ensure food security and availability is a reality,” Lungu urged.
He stated that such leaders made basic commodities like mealie meal, sugar, salt, tomatoes, electricity, water, cooking oil, and petrol cheaper and more affordable.
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