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Somalia has declared a national emergency as large swarms of locusts spread across east Africa.

The country's Ministry of Agriculture said the insects, which consume large amounts of vegetation, posed "a major threat to Somalia's fragile food security situation".

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Africa Editor Mary Harper explains why the infestation is such a disaster for the country.

Photo: A Somali farmer surrounded by desert locusts on the outskirts of Dusamareb in Galmudug region on 21 December
Credit: Feisal Omar/Reuters