Bird Swarms Devour Upper Nile Sorghum
Across Manyo County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, millions of red-billed quelea sweep over sorghum plots, stripping grain heads within minutes and leaving stalks bare.
Farmers report the birds arrived in dense waves shortly after germination, synchronising their appetite with the crop’s most vulnerable stage.
Sorghum is the county’s dietary backbone and a hard-won cash earner; its decimation reverberates through household budgets and local markets.
Flooded Fields Hamper Any Rescue
The bird invasion coincides with the third consecutive season of flash floods, which have waterlogged fields, swept away bunds, and cut off farm tracks.
Many farmers harvest by canoe, yet wet grain molds quickly, erasing the little spared by the birds.
Transportation bottlenecks mean traders hesitate to venture in, depressing farm-gate prices even as supplies shrink.
Farmers Voice Desperation and Faith
In a video circulating on local networks, Andrew Musa Othow points toward a dark haze above submerged furrows and pleads for ‘spraying planes to save what is left.’
Neighbour Yohana, standing ankle-deep in brown water, says, ‘We pray to God to remove the birds,’ fearing a second disaster if pests persist.
Authorities Weigh Spraying Option
County officials acknowledge the dual crisis and say an emergency mapping team is pinpointing worst-hit payams for potential intervention.
The national Ministry of Agriculture is discussing aerial suppression with regional partners but notes that aircraft require serviceable strips and clear weather before deployment.
Community Tactics and Uncertain Horizon
Agronomists encourage makeshift deterrents such as drums, nets, and early-morning noise to unsettle roosting flocks, recalling modest success elsewhere.
For now, Manyo’s farmers juggle prayer and improvisation, scanning both sky and floodplain while waiting for official relief.