Time - USA (2020-04-06)

16 Time April 6–13, 2020

TheBrief News

Over The pasT few mOnThs, massive

swarms of locusts, one of which occupied an

area more than three times the size of New

York City, have devoured crops across the

Horn of Africa and the Middle East, leav-

ing an estimated 20 million people at risk of

famine. The first generation’s eggs are start-

ing to hatch, and now even bigger swarms

are forming, threatening countries from the

Democratic Republic of Congo to Yemen,

Iran, Pakistan and India, “representing an

unprecedented threat to food security and

livelihoods,” says the U.N.’s Food and Agri-

culture Organization (FAO).

PERFECT STORM Desert locusts are usually

solitary creatures, but when weather condi-

tions are right, their populations explode.

That explosion can create dense swarms

that can travel great distances—more than

90 miles in a day—in search of food. Warm

weather and unusually heavy rains in the

Horn of Africa at the end of 2019 provided

the moist soil necessary for hatching eggs.

From there, the insects spread rapidly,

resulting in one of the worst outbreaks the

region has seen in more than 70 years.

NEWS

TICKER

U.S. closes

north and

south borders

The U.S. partially

closed its borders with

Canada and Mexico to

nonessential travel,

beginning March 21, in

an attempt to limit the

spread of COVID-19.

Commercial trade—in

addition to crossings

for medical purposes,

education and

emergency response—

was still permitted.

North Korea

fires two

missiles

North Korea fired two

short-range ballistic

missiles on March 21,

the country’s third

test in a month

as it continues to

ramp up military

capabilities amid

stalled negotiations

with the Trump

Administration. South

Korea called the tests

“very inappropriate”

at a time of global

pandemic.

U.S. threatens

to slash

Afghan aid

The U.S. will cut

$1 billion in aid

to Afghanistan in

response to the

continued failure of

President Ashraf Ghani

and rival Abdullah

Abdullah to reach

an agreement after

disputed elections

last September,

Secretary of State Mike

Pompeo announced on

March 23. The funding

may be restored if the

leaders come to a deal.

VORACIOUS EATERS A typical swarm, num-

bering 4 billion to 8 billion locusts, can con-

sume in one day the same amount of food as

3.5 million people. Some swarms have been

so thick in parts of Kenya that they have pre-

vented planes from taking off. Governments

have resorted to widespread aerial spraying

of pesticides when available; in poorer re-

gions, where aircraft are scarce, soldiers bat-

tle the swarms with handheld spray pumps,

while farmers attempt to drive them away

by clanging pots and pans.

URGENT APPEAL The FAO has appealed

for $138 million to support affected com-

munities. If the locusts are not stopped

before the next generation hatches, the im-

pact could be catastrophic: the FAO esti-

mates that an additional 25 million people

across the region could lose their crops and

their livelihoods. Scientists in Kenya hope

a new computer- assisted tracking program

that combines satellite data with weather-

mapping software will help predict the

swarms’ next destination, buying regional

authorities enough time to prepare a re-

sponse. But coronavirus-related travel

restrictions have hindered relief efforts as

well as response mechanisms. The locusts

have no such travel limitations.

—arYn BaKer

THE BULLETIN

A plague of locusts

threatens livelihoods

Locusts swarm up from vegetation near Archers Post, north of Nairobi, on Jan. 22

LOCUSTS: TONY KARUMBA—AFP/GETTY IMAGES; ROGERS: SILVER SCREEN

COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES; OLYMPICS: FABRICE COFFRINI—AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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