Locusts Threaten African Crops

The rains that ended the African drought have spawned the continent’s worst plague of locusts in half a century, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported today. Four species of migratory locusts are attacking simultaneously, threatening millions of acres of cropland across Africa and parts of the Middle East. FAO Director General Edouard Saoma said he has ordered agency experts to draw up an immediate plan of action for the continent, which is just recovering from years of drought that left more than 1 million people dead.