Locust Attacks Continue To Threaten Kenya, Somalia; UN Calls For International Help‏

The UN has called for international help as the countries in East Africa are under Locust attack. It has been reported that millions of swarms of locusts have descended into Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia, making it the worst outbreak of desert locusts in the region in 70 years.

According to a report by the UN, the pests are feasting on crops and destroying farmlands by consuming enough food for 35,000 people in a single day. While the locals have been left with threats of facing devastating hunger, farmers are reportedly afraid to let their cattle out for grazing.

It has been further reported by the UN that there is a likeliness of the locusts growing in number up to 500 times by June this year. The probability of this happening is there as rains in the month of March will bring new vegetation across much of the region.

It has been estimated in the UN reports, that a single swarm can contain up to 150 million locusts per sq km of farmland. Abubakr Salih Babiker, a Nairobi-based climate scientist, has claimed that climate change has contributed to the ‘exceptional’ breeding conditions for the bugs.