The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on Wednesday said the desert locust upsurge that had ravaged the Horn of Africa for more than two years has ended.
“The current desert locust upsurge has finally ended in the Horn of Africa after more than two years of intensive survey and control operations carried out by ground and air with generous support from the international community,” the FAO said in its latest dessert locust situation update.
According to the FAO, for nearly the second consecutive month, no significant locust infestations had been detected in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya during February.
The UN agency, however, stressed that although rain has not fallen recently and ecological conditions are dry, small groups of immature adults were seen moving southwards in eastern Ethiopia, which suggests that a few residual infestations may still be present.
“Therefore, surveys and vigilance should be maintained,” the FAO said.
This year’s winter breeding along both sides of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden has been very poor due to a lack of rainfall.
MG/abj/APA