Locust Swarms in Ethiopia, Yemen Threaten Neighboring Countries

By Jason McLure

Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Locust swarms are invading parts of south-central Ethiopia's Oromia region, threatening crops and the livelihoods of farmers and herders, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agency said.

The swarms, as large as five square-kilometers (two square- miles), may also threaten Kenya, Eritrea, Djibouti and western Yemen, the agency said on its Web site today

``Survey and control operations are difficult because of the mountainous terrain and because the swarms are highly mobile,'' it said.

Locust swarms in Ethiopia's eastern Somali region devastated grazing lands earlier this year, contributing to continuing humanitarian problems in the region, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Separate swarms have been reported in eastern Yemen and Oman, where they have bred near the Marmul oil fields.

``There is an increasing risk that a few swarms could reach the Batinah coastal plains in northern Oman and perhaps cross the Gulf to the Baluchistan coast in southeastern Iran and western Pakistan,'' the agency said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jason McLure in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.