The first swarms emerged in Yemen in the summer of 2019 but quickly poured into Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya (see Figure 1), after which westerly winds transferred more swarms to Pakistan. A super swarm spanning over 40 km2 was spotted at one point. In the wind swarms can migrate 150 km per day.
The locusts devoured and destroyed well over half a million hectares of farmland across Somalia and Ethiopia in late 2019 and early 2020. Their numbers increased rapidly in the following months all over the Horn of Africa. They have caused similar devastation in Pakistan. The UN has allocated £50 million in response to the crisis.
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