East and Central Africa have been hit by new swarms of locusts which are gradually increasing the risk of food insecurity for millions of people in these countries. humanitarian agency Oxfam said in its latest report.

Locust invasions in recent months are estimated to have destroyed thousands of hectares of crops in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

Heavy rains that have led to flooding have also created favourable conditions for the breeding of locusts.

The latest generation of swarms, feared to be as big as 400 times larger than the original swarms, are expected to hatch in June when crops are ready for harvest.

East Africa’s Desert Locust Control Organisation has said that the coronavirus pandemic has hindered efforts to control the invasion as importing pesticide to the region has become expensive.

By Moma Sandrine

Source BBC