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How coronavirus impacts Africa’s battle with locusts | Start Here

The insects threaten food for millions while the pandemic disrupts relief operations. #AJStartHere explains.

Swarms of locusts – some the size of cities – are eating their way through the Horn of Africa and have now arrived in Pakistan.

The UN says the insects could devastate crops and the livelihoods of farmers, leaving millions of people hungry. Lockdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic are also stopping shipments of badly needed pesticides.

How did these swarms get so big? And how are people coping?

Start Here explains.