Massive swarms of locusts are devouring crops and all plants in most of Kenya and part of Southern Ethiopia and east into Yemen and other places in the Middle East.
Some of the swarms are 2,400 square kilometres; it is the worst plague in 70 years.
The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization said it could spread to several more countries, expanding as much as 500 times by June if left unchecked.
Many African countries are already suffering from droughts and floods – sometimes simultaneously in the same country.
The combination has pushed impoverished farmers to the brink of starvation.
“Our staff in Kenya are battling swarms so thick they can barely see through them,” said Bill Chambers, president and chief executive officer for Save the Children Canada.
“We are very concerned that this will place vulnerable girls and boys even closer to starvation,” he said.
“The erratic weather of 2019 and the decade prior has already severely eroded the capacity of families to bounce back from unexpected crises.”
