The Government of Somalia has declared a state of emergency in the face of the enormous plague of desert locusts that is ravaging the country, a phenomenon that is being repeated in other countries of the continent, such as Ethiopia, and Asia, such as Pakistan and India.

"Food sources for people and livestock are at risk. These swarms of lobsters are unusually numerous and are consuming huge amounts of crops and fodder," the Somalia Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation said in a statement.

"Given the seriousness of this plague, we have to act to the maximum of our possibilities, and do it now, because otherwise we are exposed to a food crisis that we cannot afford," added the head of the portfolio, Said Husein Iid.

Keep in mind that lobsters have made an appearance less than two months before the start of the April harvest season, one of the most important moments for the country's agricultural economy.

Pakistan, under emergency

This same Saturday, Pakistan declared the state of national emergency before the arrival of another locust plague, the largest of the last 20 years in the country, and that it is also devouring every harvest in its path.

"We are facing the worst infestation in more than two decades and we have to declare a state of emergency to deal with this threat," the deputy for Information from the Prime Minister's office, Firdus Ashiq Awan, confirmed in his Twitter account, after consulting with the chief executive, Imram Jan. The lobsters made an appearance in the country last June, from Iran, and have swept the Somalia wheat, corn and cotton fields.

Somalia declares a national emergency due to the locust plague that is ravaging Asia and Africa in the southwest of the country, before moving along the state of Sindh, in the south of the country, to the northwestern province of Jíber-Pajtunjwa. The doctor at the Faisalabad University of Agriculture, Muhammad Ashraf, has prepared a research team to address the most serious crisis that is remembered since the 1993 locust plague: swarms of between 30 and 50 million lobsters that can cover 150 kilometers and devour up to 200 tons of food a day.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Asia
  • Africa
  • Pakistan
  • Twitter
  • Iran
  • India

Interview Inside a data center: "Half of the traffic in Spain passes through here"

EU Democrats want to limit the power of Donald Trump to go to war with Iran and he calls Nancy Pelosi "crazy"

Africa Isabel dos Santos, the richest woman in Africa who turned Angola into one of the poorest countries in the world