FAO :: Locust Watch :: Archives :: Upsurges :: 1994-1996
Desert Locust upsurge in 1994-1996
 

In the Western Region, swarms from undetected breeding in northern Mali and Niger during summer 1994 invaded southern Algeria and were controlled. Others moved from southern towards northern Mauritania and bred on early winter rains in January 1995. Although the emerging hopper bands were controlled from February to April, swarms and adults moved northeastwards and bred in southern Morocco and Algeria from February and by March some had reached Tunisia and Libya. Control operations against bands and swarms were undertaken in Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia from March to May but moderate numbers of swarms formed and moved to the summer breeding areas of the northern Sahel in May and June. In southeast Mauritania, adults arrived in late April and swarms from early May. In June, swarms reached northern Senegal. Other swarms moved through northern Mali and Niger in June 1995 and continued eastwards into Chad and reached western Sudan in early July.

In the Central Region, summer-bred swarms formed in the interior of Sudan and moved to the Red Sea coast by the end of 1994 where breeding took place from Egypt to Eritrea until March 1995. Breeding commenced on the Red Sea coastal plains of Saudi Arabia in late November 1994. Control operations continued against hopper bands and swarms in all countries until April 1995.

The upsurge would have ended in the Central Region in spring 1995 but small swarms from NW Africa invaded Sudan in July 1995 and reached western Eritrea. Some swarms may have also come from southern Egypt. Limited summer breeding in Sudan produced low numbers of swarms that moved to the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia in December 1995 that bred, giving rise to hopper bands that were controlled by March 1996 and the situation became calm again.