Growing risk of locust swarms in Yemen and Horn of Africa

Yemen and several countries in the Horn of Africa region, are facing an increased risk of desert locust swarms, threatening agricultural production during the next three months, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, warned on Thursday.

The risk is being blamed on summer breeding, amplified by heavy rains, and the FAO says that it could affect food security and livelihoods in the countries concerned, which include Sudan, Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia and northern Somalia.

Intensive ground and aerial operations to control the locust population, mounted in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Sudan this year, have had some success, but were not able to entirely prevent swarms from forming, and moving to traditional summer breeding areas in Yemen, Sudan, the Horn of Africa and along both sides of the border between India and Pakistan.