Large parts of Somalia south of this semi-autonomous Puntland region are under threat, or held by, the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group. That makes it difficult or impossible to conduct the aerial spraying of the locusts that experts say is the only effective control. These locusts, he said, will be migrating to southern Somalia and parts of Kenya and Ethiopia just as crops are germinating there. In a few weeks the young locusts will shed their skin, said Keith Cressman, a senior locust forecasting officer with the FAO. The locusts at that stage are bright pink and in their most voracious state, like “very hungry teenagers,” Cressman said.

Source: thestar February 09, 2020 08:26 UTC