IGAD Urges for Urgent Action toward Locust Swarms Outbreak

ENA January  15/2019 The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) urges countries in the region to take immediate action towards the outbreak of locust swarms. 

IGAD warned that severe desert locust outbreak threatens rural food security across East Africa.

A serious and widespread desert locust outbreak is destroying crops and pasture across Eastern Ethiopia and neighboring areas of Somalia, parts of Sudan, Eritrea and northern Kenya, IGAD noted.

In a press release IGAD sent to ENA, there is a high risk of further spread in the absence of immediate and significant scale up in control activities.

“IGAD calls on its Member States, the East African Community and partners to pull resources together to prevent, control and possibly eradicate the Desert Locust threat to the food security of the region,” the statement added.  

IGAD Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu reemphasized that prevention and control measures must be scaled up to contain further spread of the desert locust.

“Countries must act urgently to avoid food security crisis in the region,” Workineh noted.

There is a risk that some swarms could appear in northeast Uganda, Southeast South Sudan and Southwest Ethiopia.

According to FAO, this is the worst situation in 25 years and unusual weather and climate conditions have contributed to it, including heavy and widespread rains since October 2019.

A further increase in locust swarms is likely to continue until June due to the continuation of favorable ecological conditions for locust breeding.