This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
Kenya is set to bid farewell to the desert locusts that have ravaged the country for months. The insects are expected to leave the country in July, as predicted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
According to the FAO's latest update, published on June 23, 2020, the desert locusts will migrate northwards to the summer breeding areas in Sudan and Ethiopia. This development comes as a relief to Kenyans in areas hit hard by the locusts.
Desert locusts have invaded over 20 counties, affecting 173,000 acres and 1.3 million people. The FAO warns that before migration, swarms will remain for a short time, posing a considerable threat to crops and pastures in Turkana and Marsabit counties.
“The bulk of swarm formation is likely to occur during the next two weeks followed by a decline in July,” said the FAO. The organisation added that some swarms will take about a week to cross South Sudan to reach South Kordofan and South Darfur, while others will move north to east and northern Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, in Sudan, some rains have fallen so far in South Darfur and South Kordofan, and no locusts are present except for isolated adults in the Nile Valley. However, if the rains are insufficient, the invading swarms are likely to continue to eastern Chad and migrate westwards across the Sahel of West Africa.
