FILE PHOTO: Gen. Kuol Manyang Juuk, Senior Presidential Advisor - Credit: Office of the President - January 5, 2024

Senior Presidential Advisor Kuol Manyang Juuk has clarified his recent controversial statements regarding the consumption of frogs, stating that while those with food may not need them, those facing starvation should not overlook any available resource.

Addressing a community gathering in Juba, the veteran politician sought to provide context following a wave of public reaction to his initial comments. “If I have something to eat, why should I eat a frog?” Manyang asked rhetorically. “But if you have nothing to eat, why leave it?”

The clarification follows a March 31 tribute to the late religious pioneer, Bishop Nathaniel Garang, where Manyang first suggested that citizens should consider non-traditional food sources like frogs, lizards, and ducks.

Manyang criticized the cultural habit of discriminating against these protein sources, arguing that such taboos are a missed opportunity for survival and economic independence.

“These are all foods. But we don’t want to use our minds,” he observed, characterizing the avoidance of these resources as a sign of intellectual inactivity.

The Advisor’s remarks have sparked a broader national conversation on food security and self-reliance. Manyang has notably dismissed the common narrative that ethnic conflict is the country’s greatest obstacle, pointing instead to a lack of productivity.

“The crisis we have here in South Sudan is not tribalism at all; I dispute it. It is laziness,” Manyang stated. “Laziness makes us poor and hungry, yet God has created food all around us. Wherever you turn, there is food, but we are too lazy to exploit it.”

By challenging the national work ethic and traditional dietary preferences, Manyang emphasized that a change in mindset is essential to addressing the root causes of the nation’s struggles. His message remains centered on the idea that South Sudan’s vast natural resources can end hunger, provided citizens are willing to “exploit” the food sources God has provided.