• WAEMU granted Senegal CFA100 million ($179,646) to strengthen its national locust control system.
• WAEMU previously allocated an identical CFA100 million package to Mali on February 2.
• FAO warned that desert locusts can consume in one day the equivalent food intake of 35,000 people.
  

In Senegal, the Directorate of Plant Protection (DPV) secured CFA100 million ($179,646) from the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) on February 21. Local media reported that WAEMU released the funds to strengthen Senegal’s national desert locust control mechanism.

Authorities plan to use the resources to intensify nationwide locust surveillance and scouting operations. The program will also finance the purchase of approved pesticides that meet regulatory standards, strengthen the technical capacity of specialized teams, and ensure more effective field deployment of intervention units.

Earlier this month, WAEMU granted Mali an identical CFA100 million allocation on February 2 to support its national locust response plan. The Malian government pursued the same objective of reinforcing monitoring and rapid response capacity.

“This contribution will allow us to strengthen our early warning systems and ensure a rapid response in order to protect the hard work of our producers,” said Siméon Kelema, Mali’s Minister of Agriculture, in comments relayed by local media.

Overall, the funding packages signal WAEMU’s heightened vigilance toward the locust threat in the Sahel. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), desert locusts can consume in a single day the equivalent amount of food eaten by 35,000 people, making them the most destructive migratory pests in the world.

A Growing Threat Since 2025

In its latest global desert locust situation bulletin published on February 5, FAO assessed that the pests pose a threat to production systems in several Sahelian countries.

“In January, the worrying resurgence in Mauritania and Western Sahara split into two zones. In the south, the infested area extended from northern Senegal to southern Mauritania, where groups of winged adults and small immature swarms were present, but their numbers declined during the last decade,” the report stated.

FAO had already observed a resurgence of breeding areas in the Sahel since late 2025. In a bulletin published in December, the agency warned of potential insect reproduction in additional regions, including northeastern Mali and northwestern Niger.

While FAO expressed cautious optimism about managing the pest in some countries during the remainder of 2026, it urged governments to maintain and intensify surveillance, monitoring and control operations as the breeding period resumes. The agency added that localized rainfall and favorable vegetation could support renewed locust population growth.

Stéphanas Assocle