Red Cross warns East Africa of 'Triple Threat' amid locust, flooding and COVID-19 crisis

East Africa has been warned of three separate crises -- Coronavirus, locusts, and flooding, that is leaving several people at the risk of hunger and sickness. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) response in Africa has warned the country and stated that those on the ground are facing an "unusually complex humanitarian crisis."

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Red Cross' warning 

According to the Red Cross, the flooding crisis is making it worse for the other threats with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of locusts. The travel and movement restrictions, which are meant to be controlled and slowed down because of the contagious virus, are an impediment in combating the swarm of locusts. The Red Cross further called the flooding crisis as a 'Threat Amplifier'.

Further, the recent floods in parts of East Africa have killed nearly 300 people and displaced 500,000, slowing locust control work and increasing the risk of the virus' spread, the organisation added. Meanwhile, the Red Cross has deployed a $7.1 million response including the handing out of food items and other essentials in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda, as per international media reports.

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The desert locust is a species of locust, a swarming short-horned grasshopper, and are known to devour everything in their path, posing an unprecedented threat to the food supply and livelihoods of millions of people. Meanwhile, on Friday, Africa has recorded over 100,000 cases of COVID-19 infection. 

Read: Locusts, COVID-19, flooding pose 'triple threat' in Africa

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