Locust invasion in East Africa

Desert locusts are the most destructive migratory pests in the world. Thriving in moist conditions in semi-arid to-arid environments, billions of locusts have been feeding throughout East Africa, devouring everything in their path, posing an unprecedented and serious threat to the food supply and livelihoods of millions of people. The plague was fueled by severe weather anomalies, linked to a climate-change driven event in the Indian Ocean, that created ideal conditions for locust breeding and turned East Africa into a buffet for locusts. The crisis reached historical proportions since some areas in the region like Kenya had not seen such severe desert locust outbreaks in more than 70 years. The desert locust invasion had devastating consequences, potentially causing large-scale crop damage and threatening food security in countries affected by drought, conflict, high food prices, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that significantly slowed efforts to fight the infestation.