"Five years after East Africa was hit by swarms of desert locusts, massive infestations may be coming to northwest Africa."

"NAIROBI - The United Nations is warning countries in northwest Africa to boost monitoring and begin early control measures as swarms of desert locusts move into the region.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), locust activity has intensified over the past three months, with large infestations of the crop-ravaging pests arriving in Algeria, Libya and Tunisia.

"Surveys and control operations are particularly urgent in locations where winter and early-spring rains have created suitable breeding conditions," said Cyril Piou, FAO locust monitoring and forecasting officer, in a statement last month."

Nita Bhalla reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation May 26, 2025. [2]