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Oxfam prepares for crop devastation as locust swarms continue to multiply in West Africa

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Burkina Faso
+ 5
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Oxfam
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"I have never seen in my life such locusts! And I am 60 years-old now. This reminds me of the year 1973 during the big drought. That year, the rainy season started late. At the end of July the rainfall started, the ponds were full of water and we were smiling. This year we have recovered from a long drought. But today, our smiles have died out because of the massive locust invasion. They dig holes and bury their larvae. Between the last rainy season in October 2003 and now they have come back at least four times. Previously, the locust would stay one night, not more. Here, the locusts have devastated everything. In some parts of pastures we can see roots without grass. The waste dropped by the locusts along their way will impact on the gestation of animals: all the female animals grazing on infested grass or stems will abort their young. There is a good chance that there will be no kids or lambs this year."

Awasy: Resident of Doro, Intilit, Mali

This massive invasion of locusts has affected much of West Africa. The desert locust is the single most destructive insect on earth. It measures 4.5 to 6cm long, weighs two grams and manages to eat its own weight in food every day . The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that up to 2.5 million hectares of agricultural land have so far been affected, including 1.6 million hectares in Mauritania alone.

The worst affected countries are Mauritania, Mali, Senegal and Niger. Burkina Faso and the Gambia are affected to a much lesser extent.

Although the damage to crops and pasture has so far been significant, the greatest fear comes from the eggs, larvae and hoppers currently developing into mature locusts. Locusts can lay up to 80 eggs each. This 'new generation' will cause massive destruction if the invasion is not stopped in the coming weeks. Government resources are still grossly inadequate to eradicate the locust and large-scale breeding is in progress in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali and Niger. The UN FAO has repeatedly appealed for US$100 million, though only around one third of this has so far been pledged.

The locust plague comes on the back of a severe drought during 2002/3, which affected 420,000 people in Mauritania and from which pastoralists are only just beginning to recover. Many thousands of people in Mauritania, Mali and Senegal are likely to need food aid to get them through to the next harvest in October 2005.

Oxfam's work in Mauritania

Oxfam launched a =A31 million response to the drought in Mauritania in December 2002, working through partners in all of the areas currently threatened by locust swarms. The recovery phase of this response is still ongoing. We are also working in all the affected areas of Mali and Senegal and are therefore very well placed to respond to the food needs of the most vulnerable.

Oxfam's team is closely monitoring the situation as it develops and is participating in regional coordination and task force meetings. A Food Security Specialist will coordinate Oxfam's response across the region and a full assessment of the situation is planned during October, once the full extent of damage to crops can be measured.