General situation as of 17 December 2004
The Desert Locust situation remains extremely serious in Northwest Africa and to a lesser extent in West Africa. More swarms arrived in northern Morocco and Algeria from the Sahel. Several immature swarms from late summer breeding in West Africa also arrived in southeast Mauritania, northeast Senegal and western Mali. A few swarms moved through eastern Senegal to Gambia and southern Senegal. Control operations are in progress in all affected countries and nearly half a million hectares have been treated so far in December. The situation remains calm along both sides of the Red Sea.
Intensive aerial and ground control operations continue against immature swarms in Morocco, mainly south of the Anti-Atlas Mountains and in the northeast as well as in Algeria. Some swarms are still arriving from summer breeding areas in the Sahel. Good rains fell in some places along the southern side of the Atlas. Swarms from Mali and Niger have been reported in southern Algeria and on both sides of the border with Libya. Immature gregarious adults are scattered in eastern Libya along the border with Egypt. The situation is apparently calm in Tunisia.
Aerial and ground control operations also continue in southern Mauritania against immature swarms, and a few small swarms are present in the northwest where they are maturing but no locusts have been reported in the north. In Mali, a few immature swarms are present in the north (Tilemsi Valley and Timetrine) and control operations were conducted in the west against immature swarms near Kayes. In Niger, groups of immature adults are present in northern Tamesna and in the Air Mountains. In Cape Verde, hatching is in progress on Santo Antao and Santiago Islands.
On 30 November, a small immature swarm appeared in central Gambia. In the following week, several more swarms arrived from adjacent areas of eastern Senegal reaching the Central River, North Bank and Upper River divisions where control operations were undertaken. On 8 December, immature swarms were reported in southern Senegal along the Casamance River near Sedhiou (1242N/1533W). There is a risk that a few swarms may have continued to adjacent areas of northern Guinea Bissau and Guinea.
The most up-to-date information on the situation and photos are available on the Internet (www.fao.org/news/global/locusts/locuhome.htm) as well as maps ofthe latest infestations (193.43.36.11/mapper).