Makas Arbeh? Most Serious Locust Plague in 25 Years Strikes Africa
The most serious outbreak of locusts in 25 years is spreading across East Africa and posing an unprecedented threat to food security in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, authorities say.
The “extremely dangerous increase” in locust swarm activity has been reported in Kenya, with one swarm in the country’s northeast measuring 60 kilometers (37 miles) long by 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide.
In a statement, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said a typical desert locust swarm could contain up to 150 million locusts per square kilometer.
“Swarms migrate with the wind and can cover 100 to 150 kilometers in a day,” the IGAD said.
The outbreak of desert locusts, considered the most dangerous locust species, has also affected parts of Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Djibouti and Eritrea, and IGAD warned that parts of South Sudan and Uganda could be next.
Breeding is continuing on both sides of the Red Sea, in Sudan and Eritrea and in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Read more at abc.net.au
