4 July 2025: Groups persist before shifting south for summer breeding

Key points

• Overview: Desert Locust outbreaks declined in the northern areas of the Western Region but will shift south.
• Current situation: Hopper bands and immature swarms reported in Libya, while groups persisted in Algeria and decreased in Tunisia and Morocco. Adult groups were still present in Niger. Scattered adults in Mauritania. In the Central Region, a few groups remained in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
• Control operations: Decreased in June (22 514 ha) compared to May (45 403 ha).
• Forecast: Adult groups and small swarms will move from North Africa southwest toward the Sahel in July. Summer breeding will start in southern Algeria, southwestern Libya, Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania and possibly Sudan. Very small-scale breeding may occur along the India-Pakistan border.

In June, Desert Locust activity declined in the Western Region’s northern areas but remained significant in Libya and Algeria. Swarms and hopper bands were reported in northwestern Libya, while adult groups persisted and hopper groups continued to appear in Algeria’s central and northern Sahara. Some signs of breeding started to be reported from southern Algeria. Locust populations decreased in Tunisia and Morocco, though some groups remained. Scattered adults were present in Mauritania and mature groups in Niger. With the onset of summer rains, adult groups and small swarms are expected to move southward into the Sahel, initiating summer breeding in southern Algeria, southwestern Libya, western Chad, northern Niger, northern Mali, and Mauritania. Control operations will be necessary. In the Central Region, spring breeding ended in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with few remaining hopper groups. Adults are likely to move south into Sudan, where small-scale summer breeding may begin in July. In the Eastern Region, heavy monsoon rains reached the India–Pakistan border, potentially enabling very small-scale breeding, though no significant developments are expected.

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