5 June 2023. Desert Locust situation update
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CAUTION IN WESTERN REGION
KEY POINTS
• CAUTION: Saudi Arabia and Northwest Africa
• Current situation: mainly adult groups and control in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algeria
• June: immature adult groups likely move to southern Mauritania and become scattered
• June–September: above normal rains in summer breeding areas for small-scale breeding in northern Sahel; slightly above or normal in Yemen; below normal in Indo-Pakistan
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Control operations increased during the spring season in Northwest Africa and Saudi Arabia in May.
In Saudi Arabia, breeding continued on the central and northern Red Sea coast as well as in the interior where hopper groups and bands and immature adult groups were controlled by air and ground. As temperature increases and no rains are expected, adult groups should decline and move south. In Yemen, small-scale breeding may occur in the interior.
In Northwest Africa, hopper groups and bands and immature adult groups occurred south of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco as well as further south in Western Sahara. Some of the immature adult groups arrived in western Algeria and northern Mauritania. Control was carried out in all areas. During the forecast, any adult groups that are not controlled in the northwest will move south in June to Southern Mauritania where they are likely to disperse as scattered adults.
The summer rains are expected to begin in the Northern Sahel early this year in about mid-June, which means that breeding should start in early July. A few groups could also scatter and breed in Southern Algeria, Northern Mali, and Niger.
Elsewhere, small-scale breeding may occur in the interior of Sudan and Western Eritrea once rainfall starts.
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