Swarms and bands on the Red Sea coast
The Desert Locust situation is threatening along both sides of the Red Sea where winter breeding is in progress in Egypt, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Groups of adults and small swarms arrived on the coast last month from summer breeding areas in the interior of Sudan and laid eggs. Hatching occurred recently and hoppers are forming small groups and bands in sub coastal areas of Wadi Diib in northeast Sudan and southeast Egypt and in nearby coastal areas of Egypt. Egg-laying is continuing in Egypt and control operations are in progress. So far, infestations are confined only to the aforementioned areas. Elsewhere, low numbers of adults are present in the Tokar Delta, Sudan. In Saudi Arabia, egg-laying and hatching occurred on the coast north of Jeddah, and control operations are in progress against hopper bands that are forming. More hatching is expected in the coming weeks.
In the Western Region, locust infestations continue to decline in the northern Sahel of Mali, Niger and Chad. Nevertheless, groups of hoppers and adults persist in northern Niger where control operations continue. Control operations also continue in western Mauritania against hopper and adult groups. In Morocco, small-scale breeding continues in the southern part of the Western Sahara where small groups of egg-laying adults were treated. More hatching and the formation of small hopper groups and bands are expected in the coming weeks. In Algeria, control teams treated small groups of hoppers and egg-laying adults in the extreme south along the border of Mali and Niger.
Strict vigilance should continue in Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria and Libya during the coming weeks to detect any groups of swarms arriving from the Sahel. Thereafter, the threat should subside.