Why the death of Gaddafi caused a plague of locusts in Africa as despot's pest control system disintegrates
Insect swarms allowed to breed and spread from Libya following Gaddafi's death
Despot had carried out well-resourced pest control on insects until his death
Agricultural experts fear swarms could be devastating for croplands in neighbouring Niger and Mali
The Arab Spring and the fall of Colonel Gaddafi have continued to have long-lasting effects across the entire African continent, after agricultural experts warned of swarms of locusts about to move from Libya into neighbouring countries.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN has warned that following the death of Libya's despot leader, thousands of the pests have been allowed to breed and move across the nation's poorly-monitored borders.
Experts believe that croplands in neighbouring Niger and Mali are now at imminent risk after locust swarms moved south from Libya and Algeria.
The swarm of insects could be disastrous for the economies of Mali and Niger, as desert locusts have the ability to destroy huge areas of cropland is short spaces of time.
The two countries which could be affected lie immediately south of Libya and Algeria in North Africa.
The deposed Libyan leader was killed by rebel fighters in October last year, with thousands of kilometres of land left vulnerable ever since.
The effective and well-controlled pest control scheme used during Gaddafi's reign as leader is said to have disintegrated since his death.
The winged insects can eat their own weight in food each day, with the fall of Gaddafi said to be an 'enormous factor' in their spread across North Africa.
Keith Cressman, FAO senior locust forecasting officer, told the Financial Times: 'The fall of Gaddafi was an enormous factor, to be honest.
'It depleted the Libyans’ capacity to monitor and respond as they normally would.'
The Libyan uprising saw a substantial fall in security along the border between Libya and Algeria, resulting in teams failing to spray affect croplands and prevent locusts.
Swarms of desert locusts were said to have formed around Libya and Algeria last month following heavy rain and the resulting growth of vegetation on which the insects feed.
The Financial Times reported that local teams have managed to spray pesticide on 40,000 hectares of infested areas in Algeria, and 21,000 hectares in Libya.
Despite this, swarms of the insects have been seen in northern Niger, which is currently experiencing a food crisis.