The Namibian President Hage Geingob has accused wealthy nations of not being honest when talking about the fight against climate change.
Speaking to the BBC at a side event at the ongoing COP27 meeting in Egypt, President Geingob said wealthier countries, who he blamed for the current crisis, had turned climate conferences into talking shops.
He went on to describe the world’s largest polluters as “criminals” and the world’s poorer nations as their “victims”.
Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera also had a harsh message for richer nations.
Speaking at the conference, Mr Chakwera said that wealthier countries should take on more responsibility in fighting climate change.
“We are all equal in value before God, but our obligations, our capacities, our opportunities and our offences vary.
“So as Malawi, we believe that the clear difference in the culpability and capacity between developed nations must be reflected in the level of responsibility they bear for climate mitigation, adaptation and financing,” he said.