THE largest swarms of locusts ever seen could cause a “biblical catastrophe” across Africa as many countries are already battling the coronavirus, according to experts.
Some swarms found in recent months on the continent were the biggest ever recorded, according to the United Nations (UN).
Desert locusts have been spotted in some African countries that have not seen the pests for nearly 80 years and a second wave is said to be on its way.
Experts have been warning for months that huge swarms of the insects that destroy crops are heading to vulnerable populations in large parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
These countries are already stretched as they try to contain the coronavirus and experts have warned the swarms could wreak havoc just before the floods arrive during the monsoon season.
While swarms of locusts are not a new phenomenon in the region, climate experts say erratic weather as well as changes to the climate have created ideal breeding conditions for the locusts, not seen for 25 years.
The UN agricultural agency first warned of the locust threat in January as the insects headed for east Africa.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), along with the World Food Programme (WFP) then issued a joint statement in February.
Forecasters from the FAO now say huge swarms are now expected to arrive in two or three months from Iran, Oman and the Horn of Africa.
Desert locusts have now been sighted in Djibouti, Eritrea, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania, before spreading to South Sudan, one of Africa’s most fragile economies.
They have now been sighted on the eastern borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country that has not seen a locust threat since 1944.
The UN said in a statement issued in February: “This is a scourge of biblical proportions.
“Yet as ancient as this scourge is, its scale today is unprecedented in modern times.”
While the FAO recently said progress had been made in eastern Africa as well as Yemen the locusts remained a threat to “food insecurity” and a second wave was expected within the next month.
The UN noted in February that mature swarms were already laying eggs across large areas of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
Those baby locusts will become adults in June, when many farmers in the region are preparing to harvest their crops.
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FAO locust forecaster Keith Cressman wrote the Nikkei Asian Review: “The scale of the upsurge is difficult to imagine.
“Thousands of hectares of pastures and crops are being wiped out in communities where farmers need every gram of food to feed themselves and their families.”
He added the “highly-mobile” locust swarms must be under control before monsoon seasons hit or affected populations will face a “full-blown catastrophe”.
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