Page6 <strong>The</strong><strong>Trumpet</strong> APRIL <strong>22</strong> - MAY 5 <strong>2020</strong>
News APRIL <strong>22</strong> - MAY 5 <strong>2020</strong> <strong>The</strong><strong>Trumpet</strong> Farmers face a new outbreak of locusts even as world battles COVID-19 Page7 As the world battles COVID-19, farmers in East Africa are facing another devastating outbreak: swarms of desert locusts. <strong>The</strong> International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fears that the new swarms could spark widespread crop loss and deepen already serious levels of food insecurity, especially in places reeling from conflict or violence. “<strong>The</strong> outbreak of desert locusts cannot be forgotten in the race against COVID-19,” said John Karongo, the regional agronomist for the ICRC, based in Nairobi. “Farmers in East Africa are entering their most important planting season as new swarms are beginning to hatch. We have to act now to avert the worst.” <strong>The</strong> March rains create a troubling domino effect: the new swarms emerging in Kenya, Somalia, and southern Ethiopia have the right conditions to remain, mature, and lay eggs, with the possibility of moving to Uganda and South Sudan. <strong>The</strong>se swarms could then lay eggs in <strong>May</strong>, which would hatch in late June and July, when farmers are just starting to harvest. Farmers in Somalia like Halima Farmers in Garowe, Somalia, are trying to control the locust outbreak by spraying pesticides. (Photo - Anisa HUSSEIN, ICRC) Abdikadir, who lives in Garowe town, already saw vegetation decimated by locusts earlier this year and fears the worst is ahead if more eggs hatch. “Once swarms of locusts arrive on a farm, they don’t leave anything behind - they eat everything,” said Halima. “It damaged the guava in my farm…No one will buy damaged fruits and vegetables in the market.” Fueled by warmer and wetter weather patterns late last year, the locust outbreak is the worst East Africa has seen in decades and came on the heels of a year marked by extreme droughts and floods. “We have already seen a decline in food security in many areas because locusts wiped out pastureland and crops,” said Karongo. “If the locust outbreak is not stopped, we could see the biggest swarms at their hungriest time right when crops are starting to mature, all while the COVID-19 pandemic is creating economic turmoil that will undoubtedly hit poor families the hardest.” <strong>The</strong> ICRC, together with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, is getting information out to communities about locusts so that swarms can be reported early and what measures should be taken when there is chemical spraying. In Somalia, the ICRC is helping farmers who received seeds last year with equipment like bio-pesticides and training to help prevent further crop loss. “<strong>The</strong>re’s a Somali proverb that says when the locust leaves an area, it leaves its eggs behind,” said Halima. “New swarms are born once the rain comes. It is good that the locusts left, but my worry right now is the eggs and the damage they will cause.” <strong>The</strong> ICRC will continue its food, livelihoods and agriculture programmes in Somalia, South Sudan, and Ethiopia, while the Kenya Red Cross stands ready to help people recover with cash grants, feed for livestock, and seeds and farming tools. Libya - Caught between bullets, bombs and now COVID-19 Hundreds of thousands of Libyans are caught in an intensifying conflict as COVID-19 threatens to spread and debilitate the country’s fragile health system. <strong>The</strong> International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fears that the virus will compound the suffering of conflict-affected families, who are already struggling to meet basic needs, from shelter to food, water, and medical care. “<strong>The</strong> Libyan health care system was struggling before COVID-19,” said Willem de Jonge, ICRC’s head of operations for Libya. “Today, some medical professionals who need to be trained on COVID-19 infection prevention protocols keep being called back to the frontlines to treat the injured. Clinics and hospitals are overwhelmed caring for war-wounded and those with chronic illnesses, so their capacity to receive COVID-19 patients is limited. <strong>The</strong>y need more support and resources to face this challenge.” Despite international calls for a ceasefire, fighting in Tripoli has escalated, forcing people to flee their homes and damaging civilian infrastructure. Some areas in Tripoli like Abu Salim have seen their patient-load quadruple in recent months, mostly due to the influx of displaced families, many of whom live in collective centres. “Displaced Libyans, including some of our colleagues, have told us they have no choice but to return to their homes near the frontline, for fear they could ICRC relief in Libya bring the virus into the homes of their elderly parents or family members,” said Maria Carolina, ICRC’s deputy head of sub-delegation for Tripoli. “This highlights the unimaginable choices some people are now forced to make as they struggle to decide whether shelling and airstrikes pose a greater threat to their lives than COVID-19.” Special preventive measures must also be taken to ensure that COVID-19 does not enter prisons, as physical distancing is impossible. Migrants in Libya are also highly vulnerable to the disease, as many have only limited access to information, health care, or income. At the same time, restrictions such as curfews and border closures, while important in curbing the spread of the disease, are creating new challenges to deliver humanitarian aid and keep the supply chains for food, medicine, and basic needs open. “Authorities must ensure that delivery of humanitarian aid is facilitated while maintaining preventive measures such as physical distancing, or those who depend on it will suffer tremendously,” said Jonge. “We are already seeing the cost of food and other essential supplies increase, putting an additional strain on some of Libya’s most vulnerable families. COVID-19 comes on top of years of conflict in which families have seen their public services interrupted and job opportunities vanish.” Continued on Page 8
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