BARAKA, Kenya (AP) — The deployment of soldiers is a testament to the seriousness of the threat as East Africa’s locust outbreak continues well into a second year. The young locusts arrive in waves from breeding grounds in Somalia, where insecurity hampers the response. It’s the beginning of the planting season in Kenya, but the delayed rains have brought a small amount of optimism in the fight against the locusts, though farmers still worry about their crops. The U.N. says as a result of the poor rains, the locust swarms are remaining immature. Their numbers also continue to decline due to ongoing control operations.
