UN warns of locust swarms moving toward Ethiopia, Eritrea

ROME, June 24, 2005 (AP) — Swarms of desert locusts are moving east across Sudan, threatening to devastate crops in Ethiopia and Eritrea, a U.N. food agency said Friday.

The swarms moved through the conflict-ridden Sudanese region of Darfur in mid-June and have now crossed the river Nile, heading toward Ethiopia and Eritrea, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said.

“These are mature locusts, so they are not eating that much. They are mainly looking for a place to lay eggs,” said Keith Cressman, a locust expert for the Rome-based U.N. agency.

Once hatched, the eggs could release swarms of ravenous young locusts, eager to feed, Cressman said.

The FAO urged the countries involved to intensify their monitoring activities, as well as operations to control the locusts’ numbers by spraying pesticides.

Last summer a wave of locusts devastated crops and pastures in several western African countries, causing a famine that affected millions across Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Algeria and Morocco.

Cressman said that wave had now finished, but warned that the swarms in eastern Africa could develop into a similar problem within six months to a year if left to breed unchecked.