The Locust Plague in Eastern Africa: a calamity
January and February experienced the worst locust outbreak Eastern Africa has seen in over 70 years. City-size swarms have invaded the region, threatening local communities after heavy rains in the Arabian Peninsula in 2018. The plague is already ravaging crops and farmlands in countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, threatening to put millions of vulnerable people at risk of famine, hunger or poverty. Billions of young desert locusts are wreaking a havoc on fresh vegetation, which is often an only source of income for farmers, and most importantly, a vital spring of food. With East Africa already facing the Covid-19 pandemic and severe floods, the locust plague is a crisis inside crises.
A monstrous threat brought upon by seemingly tiny insects
Locusts are paperclip-size...