[Shadow_Group] Fw: Locusts invade

[shadowgroup-l at lists.resist.ca]

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BBC News.

Locusts invade Mauritania capital
 
By Pascale Harter 
BBC correspondent in Nouakchott  


 
Locusts have wiped out harvests in part of Mauritania 
A giant swarm of locusts has invaded the capital of Mauritania,
Nouakchott, in north-western Africa. 
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has warned that the
locust plague is still in its early stages and is set to worsen in the
coming weeks. 

Locusts have already ravaged much of Mauritania's crops and pasture land.


The air crackles with the flutter of their wings and trees rustle with
their incessant munching. "We are fed up with these locusts", said one
Mauritanian. 



Find out about the locust's life cycle 
"We haven't got much greenery and they eat it all." 


Upturned buckets 

Swarms of locusts have descended on the Mauritanian capital three times
in recent months, filling the sky, shredding leaves and bombarding
inhabitants. 

On the streets of Nouakchott children swing sticks like baseball bats,
striking out the locusts. 

  


Pictures of the locust swarms  

Others, forced to go outside have taken to wearing upturned buckets on
their heads to protect themselves from the clawed insects which like to
settle in hair and on shoulders. 

For the city dwellers, the locusts are a nuisance, but for 80% of
Mauritanians, who make their living from farming or livestock, the
current plague is an act of God. 

In the south, many Mauritanians have seen their entire harvest wiped out
in a number of hours. 

And this is just the beginning. 

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation told the BBC a new generation
of locusts is maturing and taking to the skies, bringing the risk of
famine ever closer. 


 
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