The scale of the locust upsurge prevailing in Eastern Africa is “unprecedented in modern times” and the scourge is “a graphic and shocking reminder” of the region’s vulnerability, said three UN agencies’ chiefs in a joint statement. The money would fund activities to combat the locusts before new swarms emerge, provide help for people whose crops or pastures are already affected and protect families and their livelihoods. The UN leaders maintained that action to control and contain the locusts before the new swarms take flight and farmers crops first break soil is “critical”. At the same time, FAO needs additional resources to immediately begin boosting the resilience of affected communities so they can better withstand some inevitable shocks. And each day, more countries are affected, the statement read, adding that just this week, one swarm reached the eastern boundaries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country that has not seen a locust incursion since 1944.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 26, 2020 16:18 UTC