Footage on social media shows men in the self-declared republic of Somaliland pointing their guns towards the sky and firing at clouds of locusts. It does not seem to have any effect.
Reports that the army had been deployed to shoot at the locusts were swiftly denied by the agriculture minister.
He said members of the public were doing it — and that cars carrying pesticide would soon arrive in affected areas.
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The swarms are spreading across the region, and have reached Eritrea and Sudan.
The UN predicts Kenya and Djibouti will also be affected. In some areas, farmers have lost their entire crops to the pests.
Adult locusts consume roughly their own body weight each day - and swarms can cover up to 150km (93miles) in 24 hours.
The UN says a small swarm of locusts eats as much food daily as about 35,000 people.
