US pledges $8m to fight locust plague

The US has pledged to provide $8m (£6m) to control desert locusts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this support in a joint press conference with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew in Addis Ababa.

Last week the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) asked the international community to provide nearly $76m (£58m) to fund the spraying of the affected areas with pesticide.

The UN agency warned that the East African region could be on the verge of a food crisis if huge swarms of locusts devouring crops and pasture are not brought under control.

There are fears that the locusts - already in the hundreds of billions - will multiply further.

Efforts to control the infestation have so far not been effective.