Namibia is witnessing the third wave of an African migratory red locust outbreak that has so far ravaged over 700,000 hectares of grazing land in 10 of the country’s 14 regions, the agriculture ministry said.

The latest outbreak of the large red-winged grasshopper species in the country in southwest Africa began in December 2020.

The Karas region along the South African border is reportedly the hardest hit, with over 650,000 hectares of grazing partly affected, driving the level of economic hardship higher in the region.

Not only that, grazing land in the fertile Zambezi region has also been badly damaged, posing a serious threat to food security.