# The desert locust upsurge in Somalia, 2019 to 2021 > The 2019 to 2021 desert locust upsurge in Somalia: where the swarms bred, the national emergency of February 2020, the threat to the Gu harvest, and the international response. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/desert-locusts-2019-2021/ Last checked: 2026-11-13 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## In short In late 2019 desert locusts began to breed in large numbers in **[Galmudug](/en/states/galmudug/) ([Mudug](/en/regions/mudug/)), [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) and [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/)**. On 18 December 2019 FAO said Somalia faced "the worst Desert Locust outbreak in over 25 years". About **70,000 hectares** were already infested by young hoppers and breeding adults, damaging crops and pasture ([UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019](https://somalia.un.org/en/node/33942)). On **2 February 2020** the [Federal Government of Somalia](/en/institutions/federal-government-of-somalia/) declared the upsurge a **national emergency** ([UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020](https://somalia.un.org/en/node/47600)). ## Why it happened FAO said the outbreak "has been exacerbated by exceptionally high rainfall and cyclone Pawan". [Cyclone Pawan](/en/society/cyclones-in-somalia-2013-2020/) reached Somalia in December 2019 ([ReliefWeb, Tropical Cyclone Pawan, December 2019](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/tc-2019-000165-som)). The floods before the locusts had already killed dozens of people and displaced thousands, according to Somali authorities ([Garowe Online, February 2020](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-declares-emergency-after-worst-desert-locusts-invasion)). ## Timeline - **October 2019.** Locusts began to invade parts of Somalia ([Garowe Online](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-declares-emergency-after-worst-desert-locusts-invasion)). ReliefWeb lists the regional event as "Horn of Africa: Locust Infestation – Oct 2019" ([ReliefWeb](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/2019-000149-eth)). - **18 December 2019.** FAO's emergency update: breeding in Galmudug, Puntland and Somaliland, so far in rangeland and grassland. FAO said more than 100,000 hectares would need control in the next six months and asked for an extra US$3 million (UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019). - **2 February 2020.** National emergency declared. The government said it was "concerned about the risks desert locusts pose to the cropping season which starts in April". Agriculture minister Said Hussein said: "If we don't act now, we risk severe food crisis that we cannot afford by any means" ([Garowe Online](/en/economy/somali-media-companies/)). - **April 2020.** A second generation of adults laid eggs, which hatched in the first half of April. FAO's representative, Etienne Peterschmitt, said the outbreak "is of an unprecedented scale" (UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020). - **2020.** The UK said locust swarms had "grown 20 times larger since March 2020". FAO predicted a 15 to 25% fall in Somalia's Gu harvest ([UK government, 2020](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/somalia-and-somaliland-to-benefit-from-new-uk-support-to-tackle-locusts)). ## The threat to food - FAO's food security outlook said that by September 2020 the locusts could raise the number of Somalis facing food insecurity or severe hunger "by half a million" (UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020). - FAO warned that if unchecked the locusts would "likely spread to main crop growing areas in southern Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and northeastern Kenya" (UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019). - The locust year came on top of the 2019 floods and the [COVID-19 pandemic](/en/society/covid-19-in-somalia/) (UK government, 2020). ## The response - **FAO** led surveillance and control with the federal government, member states and Somaliland. Its representative said the fight continued during the COVID-19 lockdowns (UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020). - **United Kingdom.** In 2020 the UK announced a further £18 million: £17 million for FAO's regional locust appeal covering East Africa including Somalia, Yemen and South West Asia, and £1 million for early warning and forecasting. It followed an earlier £8 million (UK government, 2020). ## Related pages - [Farming and harvests](/en/economy/farming-and-harvests/) - [Rain, drought and floods in Somalia](/en/society/rain-drought-and-floods/) ## Sources - UN Somalia / FAO (2019). [Somalia gears up for a long fight against Desert Locust](https://somalia.un.org/en/node/33942), 18 December 2019. - UN Somalia / FAO (2020). [UN continues support to fight desert locust in Somalia amid COVID-19 response](https://somalia.un.org/en/node/47600), 1 May 2020. - Garowe Online (2020). [Somalia declares emergency after worst desert locusts invasion](https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/somalia-declares-emergency-after-worst-desert-locusts-invasion), February 2020. - UK government (2020). [Somalia and Somaliland to benefit from new UK support to tackle locusts](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/somalia-and-somaliland-to-benefit-from-new-uk-support-to-tackle-locusts). - ReliefWeb. [Horn of Africa: Locust Infestation – Oct 2019](https://reliefweb.int/disaster/2019-000149-eth). --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.