#WorldAtFive 🌎: They first appear as great black smears on the horizon. As they move closer, they black out the sun and the land goes dark.
Then to the growing rhythm of millions of beating wings, they drop lower and lower, devouring all in their path. thetimes.co.uk/article/un-usi…
Then to the growing rhythm of millions of beating wings, they drop lower and lower, devouring all in their path. thetimes.co.uk/article/un-usi…
Patrick Mutugi, a farmer in Meru, eastern Kenya, watched in horror as the worst locust plague to hit the Horn of Africa for more than 70 years invaded his land.
Terrified villagers, fearing that the insects would enter their homes, tried to chase them away, to no avail.
Terrified villagers, fearing that the insects would enter their homes, tried to chase them away, to no avail.
“They ran around singing, shouting, even throwing stones to try and frighten them off,” he said.
“When the swarm descends, the air is so think with them you can barely see. They carpet the ground.” The crops are stripped bare. The locusts move on.
“When the swarm descends, the air is so think with them you can barely see. They carpet the ground.” The crops are stripped bare. The locusts move on.
Such terrifying sights were repeated across large swathes of Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya last year.
The brown and yellow insects, each the size of a small adult finger, devastated crops and precious pasturelands, leaving ruined livelihoods in their wake.
The brown and yellow insects, each the size of a small adult finger, devastated crops and precious pasturelands, leaving ruined livelihoods in their wake.
Read more in today's #WorldAtFive: thetimes.co.uk/article/un-usi…
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