Droughts, famines and displacement
The desert locust upsurge in Somalia, 2019 to 2021
Desert locusts began breeding in Puntland, Somaliland and Galmudug in late 2019, after unusually heavy rain and Cyclone Pawan. FAO called it the worst outbreak in Somalia in over 25 years. By December 2019 about 70,000 hectares were infested. On 2 February 2020 the federal government declared the upsurge a national emergency, and FAO warned that it could push half a million more Somalis into hunger.
In short
In late 2019 desert locusts began to breed in large numbers in Galmudug (Mudug), Puntland and Somaliland. 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).
On 2 February 2020 the Federal Government of Somalia declared the upsurge a national emergency (UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020).
Why it happened
FAO said the outbreak "has been exacerbated by exceptionally high rainfall and cyclone Pawan". Cyclone Pawan reached Somalia in December 2019 (ReliefWeb, Tropical Cyclone Pawan, December 2019). The floods before the locusts had already killed dozens of people and displaced thousands, according to Somali authorities (Garowe Online, February 2020).
Timeline
- October 2019. Locusts began to invade parts of Somalia (Garowe Online). ReliefWeb lists the regional event as "Horn of Africa: Locust Infestation – Oct 2019" (ReliefWeb).
- 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).
- 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).
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 (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
Sources
- UN Somalia / FAO (2019). Somalia gears up for a long fight against Desert Locust, 18 December 2019.
- UN Somalia / FAO (2020). UN continues support to fight desert locust in Somalia amid COVID-19 response, 1 May 2020.
- Garowe Online (2020). 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.
- ReliefWeb. Horn of Africa: Locust Infestation – Oct 2019.
Sources
- UN Somalia / FAO, 18 December 2019 · somalia.un.org
- UN Somalia / FAO, 1 May 2020 · somalia.un.org
- ReliefWeb, Tropical Cyclone Pawan, December 2019 · reliefweb.int
- Garowe Online, February 2020 · garoweonline.com
- ReliefWeb · reliefweb.int
- UK government, 2020 · gov.uk
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Where this matters
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- Ceerigaabo (Erigavo) and SanaagSanaag is a region on the northern coast with Erigavo (Ceerigaabo) as its capital and about 446,000 people.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
- Dhuusamarreeb (Dhusamareb) and GalgaduudGalgaduud is a region of central Somalia in Galmudug State, with Dhusamareb (Dhuusamarreeb) as its capital and about 845,000 people.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Disasters in Somalia: a list from 1974 to 2026A list of every recorded disaster in Somalia from the 1974 drought to the 2026 dengue outbreak, year by year, with deaths and people affected and a link to the full page or UN record.
- Famines and droughts in Somalia: a timeline and the Somali names for themA timeline of droughts and famines in Somalia from 1913 to 2023, with the Somali names given to each, deaths where estimated, and links to the full pages.
- Rain, drought and floods in Somalia: the Gu and Deyr seasons and the great droughtsSomalia's rainy seasons (Gu and Deyr), the great droughts from 1974 to today, the death tolls, the 2023 floods, and what changed after the 2011 famine.
- The Somalia famine of 2010 to 2012: what happened and how many diedThe 2010 to 2012 famine in southern Somalia: the drought, the famine declarations region by region, the blocked aid, the death toll by region, the refugees and how it ended.
- The Somalia famine of 1991 to 1993 (Caga Barar): causes, deaths and reliefThe 1991 to 1993 famine in southern Somalia: how war and drought caused it, Baidoa and the camps, the death toll, the Red Cross and UN response, and how it ended.
- The Somalia drought of 2016 to 2018: famine warned, famine avertedThe 2016 to 2018 drought in Somalia: the poor rains, the national disaster, cholera and displacement, the cash response, the death toll and why famine was not declared.