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A28 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 7 July 2020
Crunch, crunch: Africa's locust outbreak is far from over

By KHALED KAZZIHA and developing countries to
CARA ANNA help.
Associated Press The World Bank earlier this
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The year announced a $500
crunch of young locusts million program for coun-
comes with nearly every tries affected by the historic
step. The worst outbreak desert locust swarms, while
of the voracious insects in the FAO has sought more
Kenya in 70 years is far from than $300 million.
over, and their newest gen- The pesticide spraying in
eration is now finding its Kenya "has definitely borne
wings for proper flight. fruit," said Kenneth Mwan-
The livelihoods of millions of gi, a satellite information
already vulnerable people analyst with ICPAC. There's
in East Africa are at stake, been a sharp decline from
and people like Boris Polo the first wave of locusts,
are working to limit the and a few counties that
damage. The logistician had seen "huge and multi-
with a helicopter firm is on ple swarms" now report little
contract with the United to none. Areas experienc-
Nations Food and Agricul- ing the second wave are
tural Organization, help- notably the farthest from
ing to find and mark locust control centers, he said.
swarms for the targeted It's been more challenging
pesticide spraying that has Locusts swarm on a tree south of Lodwar town in Turkana county, northern Kenya Tuesday, June in Ethiopia, where despite
been called the only effec- 23, 2020. the spraying, new locust
tive control. Associated Press swarms arrived from Soma-
"It sounds grim because lia and parts of northern
there's no way you're gon- Prediction & Applications (124 miles) a day. are having," Polo said. Kenya. "Unfortunately both
na kill all of them because Center said Wednesday in "They follow prevailing "The limited financial ca- waves have found crops in
the areas are so vast," he a statement. winds," Polo said. "So they'll pacity of some of the af- the field," Mwangi said.
told The Associated Press For now, the young yellow start entering Sudan, Ethio- fected countries and the But without the control
from the field in northwest- locusts cover the ground pia and eventually come lockdown due to the coro- work, Polo said, the already
ern Kenya on Thursday. and tree trunks like a twitch- around toward Soma- navirus pandemic have dramatic swarms would be
"But the key of the project ing carpet, sometimes drift- lia." By then, the winds will further hampered con- even more massive.
is to minimize" the damage, ing over the dust like giant have shifted and whatever trol efforts. Additionally, He and colleagues tar-
and the work is definitely grains of sand. swarms are left will come armed conflict in Somalia get the locusts in the early
having an effect, he said. In the past week and a back into Kenya. rendered some of the lo- mornings before they leave
For months, a large part half, Polo said, the locusts "By February, March of next cust breeding areas inac- their roosting spots and
of East Africa has been have transformed from year they'll be laying eggs cessible," ICPAC expert start flying in the heat of the
caught in a cycle with no hoppers to more mature in Kenya again," he said. Abubakr Salih Babiker and day. The work has gone on
end in sight as millions of lo- flying swarms that in the The next generation could colleagues wrote in cor- since March.
custs became billions, nib- next couple of weeks will be up to 20 times the size of respondence published in "These plagues are part of
bling away the leaves of take to long-distance flight, the previous one. the journal Nature Climate nature," Polo said. "They ac-
both crops and the brush creating the vast swarms The trouble is, only Kenya Change this month. tually rejuvenate the areas.
that sustains the livestock that can largely blot out and Ethiopia are doing the Since "more extreme cli- They don't kill the plants,
so important to many fami- the horizon. A single swarm pesticide control work. "In mate variability could they eat the leaves. Every-
lies. can be the size of a large places like Sudan, South increase the likelihood thing grows back.
"The risk of significant im- city. Sudan, especially Soma- of pest outbreaks and "They don't harm the natu-
pact to both crops and Once airborne, the locusts lia, there's no way, people spread," they called for a ral world, they harm what
rangelands is very high," will be harder to contain, can't go there because of better early warning system humans need in the natural
the regional IGAD Climate flying up to 200 kilometers the issues those countries for the region and urged world."q

Businessman wins Dominican presidency in virus-marked vote

SANTO DOMINGO, Do- Liberation Party, which has across the Caribbean na- Voters were required to Results of voting for 190
minican Republic (AP) — governed since 2004. Trail- tion of some 10.5 million wear face masks and only congressional seats and 32
A businessman who has ing far behind was three- people. Abinader him- one at a time was allowed in the Senate were not im-
never held elected office time President Leonel Fer- self spent most of the past into polling places, though mediately clear.
has won the presidency of nandez. month in isolation after test- those outside often ap- The campaign was notably
the Dominican Republic, Castillo acknowledged ing positive for COVID-19 peared to ignore physical low key, with none of the
according to results Mon- "an irreversable tendency" and the vote itself had disancing recommenda- mass meetings and street
day, ending a 16-year run in favor of Abinader and been postponed from May tions. caravans common in pre-
in power by a center-left congratulated him, as did due to the disease. Abinader, 52, is part of a vious years.
party. outgoing President Daniel The Health Ministry on Sat- family with extensive busi- On election day itself, at
Luis Rodolfo Abinader had Medina, who was barred urday reported the highest ness holdings in the Domini- least one fatal altercation
won about 53 percent of by term limits from seeking daily count of new con- can Republic, including broke out with the polling
Sunday's vote with most a third four-year term. firmed COVID-19 cases, hotels. While he has never place shooting of a work-
of the polling places re- The elections took place 1,241. The country has re- held office, he finished sec- er for Albinader's party.
porting, topping Gonzalo as the new coronavirus ported 794 deaths from the ond in the 2016 presidential Authorities said two other
Castillo of the Dominican pandemic was sweeping disease. election. people were wounded.q