East Africa facing ‘triple threat’ from coronavirus, locusts and flooding
The impact of three separate crises affecting swathes of east Africa at the same time has left hundreds of thousands of people at risk of hunger and sickness, aid workers operating in the region have warned.
Like much of the world, countries in the Horn of Africa and other eastern states have been forced to introduce lockdown measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
However the virus has arrived in the region at the same time as flooding struck states including Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda – displacing roughly half a million people while causing almost 300 confirmed deaths.
And the risk of both Covid-19 and waterborne disease affecting exposed people has been further compounded by one of the worst locust infestations for decades – with hundreds of billions of the insects ravaging crops, affecting both food supplies and sources of income. [Continue reading…]