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Outskirts of Somalia's Capital is Under Siege by Damaging Locusts

VOA News

   The outskirts of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu,is under siege by swarms
   of locuststhat officials fear will ruin vegetation and potentially
   impact tourism.

   The locusts arrived outside Mogadishu on Saturday in
   theDanvileDistrict, devastating vegetation and pastures.

   Danvileadministration official AbdiazizDahiris callingonthe government
   to help save theimpacted area, whichhe saidis known for its scenery,
   pasture and tourism.

   Dahir said theconcern is thatthe locust invasion will turnthe entire
   area into arid land and impact thenumber of touristswho will visit the
   area.

   Althoughaerial spraying is considered the best way to get rid of the
   pesky locusts,some people are taking matters into their own hands,
   hopingto scare off the insects bymaking loud noises with kitchen
   utensils.

   The invasion of the airborne pests comes as Somalia continues to
   trytocurb the spread of the coronavirus.

   According to the Johns Hopkins Universityand MedicineCoronavirus Center
   Somalia has confirmed more than 4,200COVID-19 casesand 107 deaths.

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