The Desert Locust situation remained worrisome during February in the winter breeding areas along both sides of the Red Sea where locust infestations continued to increase. Adults formed groups and swarms in Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia. Some of these moved into crops along the Nile River in northern Sudan, laid eggs and caused damage, while a limited number of groups and swarms moved north along the Egyptian coast where they could eventually threaten the Nile Delta. Substantial control operations were carried out by the three countries.

Key Points

• The resumption of hostilities in northern Mali leads to an influx of displaced people in an ever more difficult context for affected populations
• Prices of millet are still high in the Sahel despite a good harvest
• Food insecurity still persists because of the 2011-2012 crises which resulted from natural disasters, high malnutrition rates and prices still high for the poorest Sahelian households
• Locust invasions are decreasing

L'essentiel

Situation remains serious along both sides of the Red Sea

Opérations de lutte contre des essaims et des bandes larvaires sur la côte de la mer Rouge

Persistance d’essaims et de bandes larvaires sur la côte de la mer Rouge

La situation relative au Criquet pèlerin s'est améliorée dans le Sahel d'Afrique de l'ouest avec la diminution des effectifs acridiens en décembre suite aux opérations de lutte au Niger et en Mauritanie et au dessèchement de la végétation.

Swarms and bands on the Red Sea coast

The Desert Locust situation remained serious during November as small swarms formed in Mali, Niger, and Chad, and adult groups moved north to Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. And increasing number of adults were seen in Morocco and the Western Sahara. Locusts formed groups and small hopper bands in western Mauritania.

La situation relative au Criquet pèlerin demeure préoccupante puisque les ailés de deuxième génération forment de petits essaims au Tchad et des groupes au Niger. Une situation similaire est probable dans le nord du Mali mais n’a pu être confirmé en raison de l’insécurité.