Desert locusts are massing on the shores of the Red Sea in Sudan, Eritrea
and Saudi Arabia, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. 鈥楽erious鈥�
outbreaks have already been spotted and the FAO predicts that swarms will
appear in the coming weeks. Existing populations of locusts are also continuing
to increase in Yemen and Egypt, says the FAO.
Officials fear the outbreaks could spread inland to devastate countries
already affected by drought and civil war, unless urgent action is taken
to control the locusts immediately. Edouard Saouma, the FAO鈥檚 director-general
in Rome, has set up a special crisis-prevention unit to tackle the locusts.
鈥業mmediate intervention is crucial to control the locust population before
warmer spring weather encourages further migration both eastwards and westwards,鈥�
says Saouma.
Between 17 November and 2 January, 26 swarms invaded the south coast
of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and many are thought to have bred despite control
operations, says the FAO. In Yemen, breeding has been 鈥榳idespread鈥� and a
40-kilometre strip of coast in Egypt is infested along the Sudanese border.
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