By Bisola Adeyemo
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations says the desert locust upsurge that had ravaged the Horn of Africa (HOA) for more than two years has ended.
The FAO made the statement on Wednesday, adding that Horn of Africa is free after intensive survey and control operations.
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The horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula of East Africa, located on the easternmost part of the African mainland. It i’s the fourth largest peninsula in the world.
“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.
China, which has been helping to deal with natural disasters in the Horn of Africa region, had been helping countries in the region in their efforts to effectively respond to the desert locust upsurge.
The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), considered as the most dangerous of the nearly one dozen species of locusts, is a major food security peril in desert areas across 20 countries, stretching from West Africa to India, covering nearly 16 million square kilometers, according to the UN.
