Locusts swarms reach South Sudan

Swarms of locusts ravaging crops and grazing land across east Africa have reached South Sudan, already reeling from widespread hunger and years of civil war, the country’s Agriculture Minister said last week. A report in The Guardian notes that Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti are battling the worst locust outbreak in decades, and swarms have also spread into Tanzania and Uganda. Desert locusts can travel up to 150km in a day and eat their own body weight in greenery, meaning a swarm just one kilometre square can eat as much food as 35 000 people in a day, according to the United Nations. The invasion is worsening food shortages in a region where up to 25m people are suffering after three consecutive years of droughts and floods. Meshack Malo, South Sudan’s representative for the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, said the locusts were mature and looking for breeding grounds that would form the basis of the next major infestation. Teams planned to mark the place where they lay eggs and then come back to kill the young insects in 14 days, he said, since poisoning the eggs in the ground could damage the soil. At least 2 000 locusts had crossed the border, he said.