Authorities in Liberia have set up a command post and called on international experts to help fight an invasion by millions of crop-devouring caterpillars that are eating their way across the country with dire economic consequences.
The inch-long (2-3 centimeters) caterpillars are clogging wells and waterways with excrement and devouring vital crops including banana, plantain, coffee and cocoa.
They swarmed around a clinic in one town, preventing people from accessing it, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
"The pests were found to attack practically all crops of economic value.
Their droppings pollute the waters, rendering them unwholesome for human use," according to a statement by the ministry.
The plague has now affected 65 towns, up from the 45 that had been earlier reported, the statement said.
In response, the government has established a command center in the town of Gbarnga comprised of top local agriculture officials.
An emergency hot line has been set up to track the invaders.
The ministry said international agriculture experts would be arriving early next week to support the government's effort, but it did not say what nations or agencies they were from.
The caterpillars have also entered neighboring Guinea, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.
The last time Liberia experienced such an invasion of pests was 30 years ago, but officials then were able to prevent its spread.
The west African nation was ravaged by civil wars for years until 2003.
The drawn-out conflict which began in 1989 left about 200,000 people dead and displaced half the country's population of 3 million.
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