KOMBOLCHA:Widow-of-ten Marima Wadisha screamed, threw rocks and in her desperation even fired bullets at the locusts that descended on her sorghum fields in northeast Ethiopia.
But the insect swarms were so relentless that her entire crop - her family's only source of income - was destroyed.
"They never left for a week. We are left with an empty harvest, we tie our waist and cry day and night. How can (I) feed ... my children like this," she said, surrounded by five of them as she held a bundle of damaged sorghum.
The locust invasion is Ethiopia's worst in 25 years, United Nations food agency FAO says.
It has damaged an estimated 200,000 hectares of land there since January, threatening food supplies - a single square kilometre swarm can eat as much food in a day as 35,000 people - and the livelihoods of millions.
It is part of a once-in-a-lifetime succession of swarms that have plagued East Africa and the Red Sea region since late 2019, with the coronavirus pandemic exacerbating the crisis this year by disrupting the FAO's supply chain of pesticides and other equipment to fight them off.
"The biggest challenge now in the region is here, in Ethiopia and we are working on that together with our partners like the FAO," said the Desert Locust Control Organization's Eastern Africa Director for Eastern Africa Stephen Njoka.
Conflict and chaos in Yemen, where some of the swarms originated, have made spraying pesticide by airplane at source impossible. That combined with unusually heavy rains have swelled the swarms spreading across Ethiopia.
The World Bank has said the insects could cost East Africa and Yemen $8.5 billion this year, and the FAO's Ethiopia representative Fatouma Seid fears the pattern of destruction will be repeated next year.
"Infestation will continue into 2021. We are being re-invaded and the swarms will then go to Kenya," she said.
Reuters
Tue Oct 20 2020
Ahmed Ibrahim, 30, an Ethiopian farmer attempts to fend off desert locusts as they fly in his khat farm on the outskirt of Jijiga in Somali region, Ethiopia. REUTERSpic
TPM Zahid ucap Selamat Hari Bapa kepada semua bapa
Sempena Hari Bapa, Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mengucapkan Selamat Hari Bapa yang disambut pada Ahad kepada semua insan yang bergelar bapa.
Menerusi satu hantaran di Facebook, beliau antara lain turut berkata bapanya, Haji Raden Hamidi adalah insan yang memberi impak besar dalam hidup beliau.
Menerusi satu hantaran di Facebook, beliau antara lain turut berkata bapanya, Haji Raden Hamidi adalah insan yang memberi impak besar dalam hidup beliau.
Malaysia masih dalam hati - Misbun
Hati Misbun belum 'terbuka' untuk menerima mana-mana tawaran luar negara bagi mendapatkan khidmatnya sebagai jurulatih buat masa ini.
Agong, Raja Permaisuri zahir ucapan Selamat Hari Bapa
Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja Permaisuri Agong menzahirkan penghargaan kepada semua insan bergelar bapa bersempena Hari Bapa yang disambut hari ini.
Ibu Menteri Pendidikan Fadhlina Sidek meninggal dunia
Datin Dr Siti Zalikhah Md Nor menghembuskan nafas terakhir pada pukul 9.30 pagi tadi di Hospital Serdang.
Tragedi Aidiladha: Dua beradik maut motosikal bertembung kereta
Kemalangan dipercayai berlaku apabila motosikal dinaiki dua beradik itu bertembung dengan kereta yang datang dari arah bertentangan.
85 gelandangan di sekitar ibu negara diselamatkan
Operasi itu memberi peluang kehidupan lebih baik kepada gelandangan di samping memastikan imej Kuala Lumpur bersih dan sejahtera.
Lebih 1.8 juta umat Islam seluruh dunia tunai ibadat haji tahun ini
Jumlah jemaah haji luar ialah sebanyak 1,611,310 manakala jemaah tempatan 221,854 orang.
Euro 2024: Belgium tidak kisah label underdog
Belgium tidak bimbang tanggapan mereka bukan pasukan pilihan untuk mendominasi Euro 2024.
AWANI Ringkas: Suspek dipercayai ada masalah mental
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
TPM Fadillah ucap Selamat Hari Bapa
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Fadillah ucap Selamat Hari Bapa yang disambut hari ini kepada semua insan yang bergelar bapa.
30 pelarian maut kerana kelaparan, malnutrisi di wilayah Gambella, Ethiopia
Gambella menerima hampir 400,000 pelarian pada akhir Ogos namun bantuan makanan telah dihentikan sejak Mei di sebahagian kem pelarian di situ.
41 juta penduduk dunia di ambang kebuluran - Program Makanan Sedunia
Analisis WFP baru-baru ini menunjukkan seramai 41 juta orang di 43 negara kini diancam risiko kebuluran.
Dari Haile Selassie ke Abiy Ahmed Alie
Ethiopia dahulu terkenal dengan Maharaja Haile Selassie, kini Hadiah Nobel Keamanan digenggam Perdana Menterinya Abiy Ahmed Alie.
46 migran lemas dalam cubaan menyeberangi Teluk Aden
46 migran termasuk sembilan wanita dari Ethiopia mati lemas ketika cuba menyeberangi Teluk Aden dan kejadian berlaku apabila bot yang dinaiki mereka terbalik di perairan tersebut.