Local authorities have said grasshoppers have destroyed large swaths of gardens in Bule Payam in Eastern Equatoria State’s Imehejek Administrative Area.
In December 2024, green locusts invaded and destroyed crops in the same area, leading to unprecedented hunger and food insecurity. The green locust, also known as the African bush grasshopper, is an insect with short, thick antennae and long, strong hind legs that make it a good jumper when destroying crops.
Jildo Oleo, a distraught Bule Payam resident who spoke to Radio Tamazuj from his ruined garden, said the situation saddened him because he has no crop left and is now food insecure.
“I came to cry in the garden, but I am going back home now. The grasshoppers have destroyed all the gardens,” he explained. “They slowly consumed all the sorghum, and not even a little remained for us. If we are not helped with food assistance, people will all run away from the area.”
For his part, Sebit Lomuduk, the chief of Bule Payam, confirmed that grasshoppers destroyed crops in the area for four days, resulting in significant damage that nearly spread to neighbouring Payams.
“These grasshoppers have now been here for four days, and they have destroyed the gardens badly. The produce was going to help those who came from the refugee camp in Kenya, and we put much hope in it,” he said. “The population we have here in Bule is 25,000 people, and everybody who resides here cultivates and has a garden.”
Meanwhile, Angelo James Anyunyang, the local Member of Parliament, said this is not the first time grasshoppers have caused such destruction and urged the government and humanitarian agencies to assist the affected population.
“It is not the first time this has happened. A few years back, it affected all the farms. This is the dry season, so it is difficult to cultivate again,” he explained. “April is when the rain always comes, so it is going to be a big problem. I don’t even know how these people are going to survive without food.”