Somalia on Sunday declared a locust infestation sweeping the Horn of Africa to be a national emergency, as insects devastate food supplies in one of the poorest and most vulnerable regions in the world. "The Ministry of Agriculture... has declared a national emergency in view of the current desert locust upsurge, that poses a major threat to Somalia's fragile food security situation," the ministry statement read. Experts say the locust swarms are the result of extreme weather swings, and Somalia's declaration -- the first country in the region to do so -- is aimed at boosting national efforts in tackling the hungry insects. nur-pjm/spm