Darfur now threatened with locust plague

An invasion of locusts that has destroyed millions of acres of crops in North Africa is heading toward Sudan’s strife-torn Darfur region, a UN agency warned today.

No swarms have yet been reported in Darfur, which is struggling to cope with a conflict that has displaced more than one million people, but the risk of infestation is high, the Rome-based UN Food and Agricultural Organisation said.