Over the past two weeks, swarms of desert locusts have invaded Egyptian borders from Sudan through land and sea. The swarm of desert locusts covering an area of one square kilometer consisting of 80 million locusts can devour enough food crops to sustain 35,000 individuals in one single day. The spread of locusts in Egypt is not a heavily recurring event, but Sudan is no stranger to locust invasions. Yet, their spillover to Egypt could be a result of the current conflict in Sudan. The ongoing power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has led to deaths, displacements, and a humanitarian disaster. The lives lost and the food distress in Sudan have rendered its people unable to combat desert locusts, resulting in the migration of the yellow desert locusts across neighboring borders. The head of the Agricultural Pest Control Department in Egypt, Ahmed Rizk, said, “Locusts breed in Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea, and given the conditions occurring in Sudan of wars and the spread of epidemics, locust swarms are increasing,” according to Al Arabiya. Egyptian authorities are currently working to combat the locust swarms…
Rising Locust Infestation Threatens Egyptian Agriculture Amidst Sudanese Turmoil
February 20, 2024
