Running out of Time: East Africa Faces New Locust Threat

Running out of Time: East Africa Faces New Locust Threat
A man attempts to fend-off a swarm of desert locusts at a ranch near the town on Nanyuki in Laikipia county, Kenya, Feb. 21, 2020. Baz Ratner/Reuters
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NAIROBI/ADDIS ABABA—Countries in East Africa are racing against time to prevent new swarms of locusts wreaking havoc with crops and livelihoods after the worst infestation in generations.

A lack of expertise in controlling the pests is not their only problem: Kenya temporarily ran out of pesticides, Ethiopia needs more planes, and Somalia and Yemen, torn by civil war, can’t guarantee exterminators’ safety.