Ugandan government respond to the West: ‘Keep your aid’
By Josh Haggis
The Ugandan government has shrugged off threats from Western countries saying that they will remove aid to the country in response to their new anti-gay laws.
On Tuesday (February 25), Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway became the first countries to cut aid to Uganda following the signing of their controversial anti-gay bill.
Ugandan activists urged countries not to cut their aid, saying it will only cause more problems for the LGBTI community.
However, government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo has claimed that Uganda can develop without assistance from the West.
“The West can keep their ‘aid’ to Uganda over homos, we shall still develop without it,” he said in a tweet.
Denmark and Norway instead plan to redirect aid away from the government in Uganda. Instead, they will provide aid totalling $17 million (£10m) to human rights groups and other organisations in the country.
On Monday (February 24), the Ugandan President signed a bill into law which states that homosexuals can be jailed for life should they be caught more than once. The law also outlaws the promotion of homosexuality and also covers lesbianism for the first time.
Those who show support of homosexuality will also face custodial sentences under the new legislation.
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