General Situation during July 2016 Forecast until mid-September 2016
The Desert Locust situation continued to be a cause for major concern in Yemen during July. An unknown number of swarms continued to form in the interior. At least one swarm moved into the central highlands while adult groups moved to the southern coast. Heavy rains and flooding in most areas at the end of July will allow breeding to continue and extend to the Red Sea coastal plains. Survey and control operations are severely limited by insecurity. While most of the swarms are expected to remain in Yemen, there is a low risk that a few could appear in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Horn of Africa. These countries should remain vigilant. Elsewhere, the situation remained calm. Scattered adults appeared in the summer breeding areas of Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, India, Pakistan and perhaps Mali. Small-scale breeding will cause locust numbers to increase slightly in the northern Sahel from Mauritania to Eritrea and along the Indo-Pakistan border but remain below threatening levels.
