Calm situation continues due to poor rainfall in winter breeding areas

The Desert Locust situation continues to remain calm in all countries.

Very little rain has fallen in the winter breeding areas along both sides of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the past two months. Consequently, ecological conditions are unusually dry and unfavourable for breeding in most areas. Only localized breeding on a small scale is likely to occur in some coastal areas of Sudan and Yemen where low numbers of solitarious adults were present in January. Small-scale breeding could also take place on the coast of Eritrea, Saudi Arabia and northern Somalia if additional rains fall during February.

Dry conditions prevailed elsewhere in the recession area and no locusts were reported.

During February and March, locust numbers will remain low and no significant development are likely. By mid-March, isolated adults may start to appear in the spring breeding areas in Northwest Africa and Southwest Asia.