Locust Swarms Invade River Nile and Northern States

The Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Forests in the River Nile State has announced that the threat posed by large swarms of locusts invading the Northern and River Nile States from unsafe areas in Western Sudan poses a significant risk to the country’s food security. This is particularly concerning for the country’s wheat and other food crops production during the current winter season.

The Director of Plant Protection in the state, Al-Hadi Mohamed Ahmed, stated that the locusts, which have bred locally in recent months, have been surveyed by federal and state teams for monitoring and tracking purposes. Control measures, including eradication efforts, have already begun. He confirmed that the swarms entering through the Northern State in early December have now started to reach the River Nile State. Monitoring teams in West Damer and areas along the Atbara River are transmitting information via radio round-the-clock, but the ongoing threat to the agricultural season is exacerbated by a lack of pesticides for control.

Al-Hadi also noted ongoing communication with the center to address the threat, but currently, no pesticides are available to start the control process, and the swarms are continuously increasing. In this context, the center has reported communications with China, stating that pesticides to combat the desert locust will arrive in Sudan in the first week of January.