Перейти к основному содержанию

East Africa - Desert Locust Crisis, Fact Sheet #5, Fiscal Year (FY) 2020

Страны
Эфиопия
+ 16
Источники
USAID
Дата публикации

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Swarm formation begins in Kenya, reportedly resulting in new invasions into Ethiopia

  • Countrywide suspension of internet, telecommunications services hinders locust surveillance in Ethiopia

  • Insecurity continues to prevent surveillance and control efforts in southern Somalia

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

  • A new generation of the desert locust is forming swarms in northwestern Kenya’s Marsabit and Turkana counties, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) expecting new swarm formation to decline in the coming weeks. Once formed, if uncontrolled, immature swarms—the stage at which desert locusts are most voracious and mobile—will remain in Kenya for seven to 10 days, causing significant damage to crops and pasture before invading Ethiopia or migrating to Sudan through South Sudan; migrations toward Sudan were imminent as of July 14.

  • New swarms have also formed in eastern Ethiopia and parts of Somalia in recent weeks, while swarms from Kenya reportedly began arriving in adjacent areas of Ethiopia in late June. Operations to control increasing bands of hoppers—immature, wingless locusts—and newly formed swarms in locust-affected areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia are ongoing. However, relief actors in Ethiopia have noted a dearth of locust surveillance data—which are critical for facilitating timely and effective control operations—in recent weeks. Although USAID/BHA staff based in the capital city of Addis Ababa and FAO are coordinating with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) to address gaps, a countrywide suspension of internet and telecommunications services—resulting from civil unrest in Addis Ababa and Ethiopia’s Oromiya Region—has adversely impacted the collection and use of surveillance data since late June.

  • FAO continues to support the Government of Sudan (GoS)’s Plant Protection Directorate (PPD) teams to survey locust-affected or at-risk areas of Sudan. While PPD teams have sufficient capacity to guard against new invasions from Kenya, FAO recommends that countries in West Africa remain on alert for possible westward migrations from Sudan during July.