By Reuters
Published: 12:19 GMT, 22 February 2019 | Updated: 12:19 GMT, 22 February 2019
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A locust outbreak in Sudan and Eritrea is spreading rapidly along both sides of the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Periods of rain along the Red Sea coastal plains in Eritrea and Sudan have allowed two generations of breeding since October, leading to a substantial increase in locust populations and the formation of highly mobile swarms.
The increase in locusts in the area could pose a possible threat to crops and food security, the organisation warned
Good rains along the Red Sea coastal plains in Eritrea and Sudan has lead to a substantial increase in locust populations in the area (stock image)
At least one swarm had crossed to the northern coast of Saudi Arabia in mid-January, with further swarms a week later.
Rains from two cyclones in 2018 had triggered breeding of locusts in the Empty Quarter region of Saudi Arabia, near the Yemen-Oman border, and a few
