Desert Locusts Now in Uganda and Tanzania

A swarm of locusts crosses the village of Lerata 300 km north of Nairobi on January 22, 2020. TONY KARUMBA / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

Desert locusts wreaking havoc in the Horn of Africa reached Uganda and Tanzania on Sunday. Their displacement in the region was expected and the Kampala government has taken emergency measures to deal with their arrival. But forecasts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations indicate that the situation could worsen.

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Two Ugandan army helicopters were dispatched to the Kenyan border on Monday to bring emergency equipment. The Ministry of Agriculture says it has made available 36,000 liters of pesticides to spray on the invaded areas and 2,000 soldiers have been mobilized, according to the army spokesman. These are the first measures decided by Kampala on Sunday after reports of several swarms in the Karamoja region in the north-east.

I flagged off the consignments for pesticides to fight the locusts that have invaded us in the karamoja region along with Mr. Antonio Querido the Country Representative @FAOUganda and Major General Samuel Kavuma the Deputy Commander of Land Forces. pic.twitter.com/Ch9HDrywc7

Hon. Bagiire Henry Aggrey (@Hon_Bagiire) February 10, 2020

Further south, in Tanzania, swarms have also been reported in villages near Mount Kilimanjaro. Others may soon reach South Sudan and Burundi.

The situation therefore remains " extremely worrying, " says FAO. The UN agency reports that the laying and hatching of locust eggs has started " on a large scale " in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, posing " an unprecedented threat to food security and livelihoods." subsistence in the region ”.

This reproduction, " above normal " according to the FAO, also concerns locusts reported on both sides of the Red Sea, in Saudi Arabia and Eritrea, which are now moving north towards Sudan.

FAO & partners called for increased financial commitments & #Innovation to support the #Response plan for combating #DesertLocust. Read the story here: https://t.co/CdJMuL9s0D@FAOLocust @FAOemergencies @FAOAfricaADG pic.twitter.com/us5rSmFsyd

FAO Eastern Africa (@FAOEastAfrica) February 10, 2020

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  • Uganda
  • Natural disasters

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