Locusts threaten crops in Mauritania

Swarms could move to Mauritania, Algeria, Libya and even southern Morocco Tens of millions of locusts from the Sahel area are expected to strike Mauritania, Libya and Algeria in the coming weeks,  according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). The FAO has advised the states to prepare and mobilise efforts to fight the swarms after adult locusts gathered in Chad and are making their way to Mali and Niger because summer rains
and strong winds have allowed two generations of locusts to grow.
Senior official for the FAO Keith Cressman said: \"The spreading winds and weather show that after gathering the swarms will head towards Algeria, Libya, South Morocco and Mauritania, where they will destroy crops and threaten yields in Mauritania, Mali and Niger.\"
A small locust swarm can eat the same amount of food eaten by 35000 people daily. The swarms fly 150 kilometres a day in the direction of the wind and each one can eat a fresh green vegetable equal to her daily weight.
They have been detected in Niger and Chad. In Mali and Niger teams have started operations to fight the swarms by spraying in Chad at the start of October. And the Mauritanian government is also preparing to fight the swarms.
Concerns have been raised that unstable political environments will hamper the battle against the pests. An expert at the organisation said: \"The unstable security situation in any country will hamper access to some areas of wild reproduction, especially in Mali, where the FAO has played the mediator role with countries such as Algeria, Senegal, and Morocco being donated pesticides.\"
The organization has called for the mobilisation of $10 m to continue fighting. Up to date $4.1 m aid has already been granted, allowing field operations to continue through summer in Mali, Niger, and Chad, thanks to the French and US support. Additional aid has been granted to Niger, where the FAO\'s Commission for controlling the Desert Locust in the Western Region held their regional meeting with the World Bank last month. It was confirmed that financial aid will fund field operations until December and the organisation is exerting efforts to continue supplying money.
Countries as Niger, Chad, and Mauritania have succeeded in training detection and fighting teams, however they still in need external support including equipment and pesticides to react against emergency ases.