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| Liberia worms trigger emergency | Liberia worms trigger emergency |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| Liberia's president has declared a state of emergency in response to a plague of crop-destroying army worms. | Liberia's president has declared a state of emergency in response to a plague of crop-destroying army worms. |
| Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said all possible resources would be used to fight the insects, that have spread to next-door Guinea and are nearing Sierra Leone. | Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said all possible resources would be used to fight the insects, that have spread to next-door Guinea and are nearing Sierra Leone. |
| Liberia has already appealed for international help to carry out aerial spraying against the insects. | Liberia has already appealed for international help to carry out aerial spraying against the insects. |
| The "worms" - which are actually caterpillars - are among the world's most destructive agricultural pests. | |
| A delegation from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is in Liberia taking samples of the caterpillars to determine the best ways of controlling them. | A delegation from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is in Liberia taking samples of the caterpillars to determine the best ways of controlling them. |
| Guinea has started spraying, and Sierra Leone has announced it will mobilise chemicals and personnel to its border. | Guinea has started spraying, and Sierra Leone has announced it will mobilise chemicals and personnel to its border. |
| Creeks and rivers - which some villages rely on for drinking water - are being polluted by the massive amount of faeces being produced by the swarm. | Creeks and rivers - which some villages rely on for drinking water - are being polluted by the massive amount of faeces being produced by the swarm. |
| Worst for decades | Worst for decades |
| Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf said 62 communities with 350,000 inhabitants had been affected in Liberia, with indications that several villages in neighbouring Guinea were now experiencing a similar invasion. This is indeed a crisis and I hereby declare a state of national emergency Ellen Johnson-SirleafLiberian president | Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf said 62 communities with 350,000 inhabitants had been affected in Liberia, with indications that several villages in neighbouring Guinea were now experiencing a similar invasion. This is indeed a crisis and I hereby declare a state of national emergency Ellen Johnson-SirleafLiberian president |
| Speaking during her annual message to lawmakers, Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf said her government had taken immediate steps to combat the swarm, establishing a task force to deal with the crisis. | Speaking during her annual message to lawmakers, Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf said her government had taken immediate steps to combat the swarm, establishing a task force to deal with the crisis. |
| "This is indeed a crisis and I hereby declare a state of national emergency with particular emphasis on the existing and potentially affected counties," said the president. | "This is indeed a crisis and I hereby declare a state of national emergency with particular emphasis on the existing and potentially affected counties," said the president. |
| "The technical team has identified and classified the species and has commenced spraying in the affected areas," she said. "Water and food are being supplied to the most vulnerable and displaced." | "The technical team has identified and classified the species and has commenced spraying in the affected areas," she said. "Water and food are being supplied to the most vulnerable and displaced." |
| Last week, Liberia's agriculture minister said the swarm was the worst for three decades. | Last week, Liberia's agriculture minister said the swarm was the worst for three decades. |
| The FAO's Tim Vaessen said: "There is a need for immediate action otherwise it may create problems for food production." | The FAO's Tim Vaessen said: "There is a need for immediate action otherwise it may create problems for food production." |
| With each female laying between 500 and 1,000 eggs, the caterpillars (of the genus Spodoptera) can lay waste to an entire crop in a matter of days once they reach maturity. | |
| They can grow up to 5cm (2in) in length, | |
| An Agriculture Ministry-led command post, manned by fewer than a hundred pest control workers, has been set up to contain tens of millions of invading insects. | An Agriculture Ministry-led command post, manned by fewer than a hundred pest control workers, has been set up to contain tens of millions of invading insects. |
| Are you in Liberia? Have you been affected by the invading insects? Send us your comments below. | |
| You can also send your pictures of the insects or insect damage in Liberia to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 100 or you have a large file you can upload here. | |
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