A swarm of desert locusts invade parts of Mwingi in Kitui county, Kenya, on Feb. 19, 2020. They have already destroyed hundreds of hectares of crops including millet, sorghum, green grams and maize among other crops. (Xinhua/Fred Mutune)
The second round of desert locusts will invade the east African countries in the coming months, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned.
NAIROBI, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Tuesday warned east African countries to brace for the second round of desert locust invasion.
Senior officials at IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) said that eggs laid along the migratory paths during the first attack are due to hatch in the coming weeks, paving way to the second round of invasion.
"Desert locusts are expected to continue breeding and spreading during the coming months due to favorable climatic conditions," said Guleid Artan, director of ICPAC.
He said that in a worst-case scenario the desert locusts will invade key production areas of the region and cause significant crop losses during the March to May cropping season, and could potentially worsen the food security situation. ■