Sudan

Sudan
Sudan is within:
Region:	Africa
Subregion:	Northern Africa

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Sudan is the third largest country in Africa. It holds a unique geopolitical position, linking the Arab world in North Africa with sub-Saharan Africa. In the northeast, Sudan is bordered by the Red Sea and shares its borders with seven countries: Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic and Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, and Egypt to the north. The Nile River, which traverses the country from south to north, is a vital resource for Sudan's agriculture and livelihood. The country has experienced significant political and social changes, especially after the secession of South Sudan in 2011. Its economy is largely based on agriculture, oil production, and mining. Sudan harbors some of the most important areas for desert locust breeding in the region.

Ecology

Sudan is divided into two main natural regions: the northern area, which is mostly desert, and the central region, characterized by grass-covered plains. In the northern deserts, winter nights can be as cold as 5°C, while summer temperatures often surpass 44°C. In contrast, the southern region experiences higher temperatures, greater humidity, and more rainfall, with notable variations in annual precipitation throughout the country.

Sudan contains key desert locust breeding grounds in the FAO’s Central Region, particularly during the winter months. These areas are located along the Red Sea coastal plains, extending from the Egyptian border to the Tokar Delta. For more information on the Tokar Delta see the FAO Desert Locust Atlas

The desert locust breeding areas in Sudan cover vast areas estimated at 850,000 km². Summer breeding occurs from June to October, spanning West and North Darfur, North and West Kordofan, White Nile, Khartoum, Kassala, River Nile, Northern State, and part of the Red Sea State. Winter breeding areas are along the Red Sea coast, from the Eritrean border to the Egyptian border, including the northwestern Red Sea Ridge and extending west to the Bauda Desert.

Most of the rainfall in the locust breeding areas of Sudan is linked to the northward movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). This phenomenon plays a crucial role in determining the timing and progression of the life cycles of different locust and grasshopper species, as well as the locations where they feed and breed.

For more information on breeding grounds in Sudan see the FAO Desert Locust Atlas

Outbreaks

Sudan has historically been prone to desert locust outbreaks due to its extensive arid and semi-arid regions, which provide ideal breeding grounds.

2019-2021

The most severe recent outbreak occurred in 2019-2021. This outbreak was one of the worst in decades, affecting large swathes of East Africa. The outbreak began in 2019, driven by unusual climatic conditions that favored locust breeding. The situation escalated in 2020-2021, with heavy rains and cyclones creating ideal conditions for the formation of massive locust swarms. These swarms caused extensive damage to crops and pastures, threatening food security and livelihoods. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, along with regional governments, implemented extensive control measures such as aerial and ground pesticide spraying, monitoring, and early warning systems to combat the infestation and mitigate its impacts. Read more here

2003-2005

Sudan was impacted by the significant desert locust outbreak during 2003-2005 in West Africa. This outbreak highlighted the need for improved monitoring systems and rapid response capabilities and was a major turning point for increased efforts in surveillance and control.

1993-1996

A desert locust outbreak in 1993 and 1996, impacted harvests in Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti.

1987-1988

Around 55% of the food crops were damaged during the 1987-1988 desert locust plague especially in the Kordofan State.

Management and research

Sudan is part of the FAO Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO EA) and the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC).

The Desert Locust Control Department of Sudan operates under the Plant Protection Directorate (PPD) of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Since 2004, the Central Institution for Desert Locust Research and Control (CIDLRC), part of the Plant Protection Directorate within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Khartoum, has been tasked with overseeing and managing desert locust surveys and control measures throughout both the summer and winter seasons. The CIDLRC works in close collaboration with Agricultural Departments in impacted states, while also maintaining the ability to deploy its own resources if necessary. It operates a strategic outpost in Suakin for winter campaigns and runs a Locust Information Office in Khartoum, utilizing systems like the Reconnaissance and Management System of the Environment of Schistocerca (RAMSES).

Historically, until the early 1980s, desert locust information in Sudan was collected and analyzed using rudimentary methods. Information was initially shared through word of mouth and postal reports, later evolving to radio messages and faxes. The early 1990s saw the introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, followed by the deployment of ELocust in its various versions. These advancements significantly improved data transfer efficiency and accuracy. The use of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), such as RAMSES, further revolutionized data management and forecasting.

Despite these advancements, there remains a significant need for high-resolution satellite remote sensing images to monitor vegetation cover. This capability is crucial for tracking the development of small, newly emerged vegetation and effectively monitoring vast locust breeding habitats that are difficult to access due to remoteness or security challenges.

Species gallery

• Highlighted species for Sudan
• 
  Garden locust (Acanthacris ruficornis)
• 
  Red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata)
• 
  Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)
• 
  Devil grasshopper (Diabolocatantops axillaris)
• 
  Sudan plague locust (Aiolopus simulatrix)
• 
  Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
• 
  Sahelian tree locust (Anacridium melanorhodon)

Organizations

Locusts and grasshoppers are typically managed through a national plant protection system led by a country’s plant protection organization, ministry of agriculture, or equivalent biosecurity authority. They are often supported by specialized pest control branches, natural resource agencies, and regional bodies when outbreaks cross borders. These agencies are usually the first point of contact for surveillance, reporting, permits, quarantine decisions, and control operations. If the country belongs to one of the FAO locust commissions, those bodies provide a regional framework for early warning, field surveillance, information sharing, and coordinated response, helping countries align monitoring, contingency planning, and control actions across borders.

Organization name	Acronym	Website	Type	Focus	Geographic purview
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region	CRC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Management, Governance, Education, Information Hub	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia
Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa	DLCO EA	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Education, Governance, Management, Research	Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania
FAO Desert Locust Control Committee	DLCC	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Governance	Afghanistan, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, [[United Arab Em...
Intergovernmental Authority on Development	IGAD	View	Intergovernmental Organization	Development, Management, Research	Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda
Ministry of Agriculture Sudan		View	Government		Sudan

Resources

Name	Species purview	Year published	Resource link	Descriptive keyword	Language	Geographic purview	Author
2014 evaluation of field trials data on the efficacy and selectivity of insecticides on locusts and grasshoppers		2014	View	Pesticides, Management, Pesticide management, Chemical control, Information hub	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Atlas of desert locust breeding habitats		1997		Breeding zones, Habitat, Map, Distribution, Biology, Ecology, Behavior, Phase polyphenism	English	Ethiopia, Senegal, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Algeria, Mauritania, Mali, Egypt, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, George Basil Popov, G.B. Popov
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) ad hoc, emergency, other meetings		1971		Management, Survey, Biology, Monitoring, Toxicology, Physiology, Ecology, Forecasting, Locust commission meeting, Collection	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) committee meetings		1971		Management, Survey, Biology, Monitoring, Toxicology, Physiology, Ecology, Forecasting, Locust commission meeting, Bundle	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) survey reports		1971		Management, Survey, Biology, Monitoring, Toxicology, Physiology, Ecology, Forecasting, Locust commission meeting, Bundle	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) training and workshops		1971		Management, Survey, Biology, Monitoring, Toxicology, Physiology, Ecology, Forecasting, Locust commission meeting, Collection	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Desert locust field handbook		2020	View	Species identification, Management	English	Israel, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Mauritania, Chad, Mali, Lebanon, Sudan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Somalia, South Sudan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Libya, Kenya, India, Oman, Bahrain, Djibouti, Yemen, Uganda, Egypt, Eritrea, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Palestine, Tanzania, Syria, Iran, Turkey	Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International
Desert locust invasion responding to a crisis within a crisis		2020	View	Presentation, Outbreaks, Emergency response	English	Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda
Desert locust master training manual		2003	View	Management, Training manual	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Desert locust technical series				History, Management, Set	English, French, Arabic	Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Mauritania, Madagascar, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Senegal, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Niger, Mali	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Desert locust upsurge progress report on the response in the Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen		2020	View	Locust outbreaks, Management, Report, Progress report	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
East Africa desert locust crisis fact sheets		2019, 2020, 2021		Emergency response, Outbreaks, Series	English	Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo	United States Agency for International Development
Estimate the potential impact of DL resources control an outbreak campaign excel file worksheets				Chemical control, Report, Excel files, Series	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FAO commission for controlling the desert locust in the central region fifty years fighting desert locust		2016	View	International development, Community development, Environmental assessment, Decision making	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Field efficacy trials with the entomopathogen Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum (Green Muscle) against the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) and monitoring of it's operational use		2007	View	Advice, Metarhizium acridum	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Field tests on an integrated Differential GPS navigation and spray monitoring system for aerial Desert Locust control operations		1998	View	Spraying, Aerial control operations, Monitoring	English	Sudan	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Greater Horn of Africa and Yemen Desert locust crisis appeal		2020	View	Appeal, Emergency appeal	English	Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea	Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Guide for identifying desert locust			View	Locusts, Biology, General locust education	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Guidelines for developing research proposals			View	Locusts, Research, Research proposal, Guide	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Locusts have caused problems for quite some time			View	Locusts, Biology, Chemical control, Mechanical control, Spraying, Data analysis	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Metarhizium anisopliae reference list of papers			View	Biological control, Infestations, Information hub	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Operational-scale field trial with Green Muscle		2005	View	Agriculture, Chemical control, Metarhizium acridum, Trial, Biocontrol, Management	English	Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Somalia	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Supplementary environmental assessment (SEA) for USAID funding of locust or grasshopper pesticide usage in Sudan		1990	View	Breeding zones, Sudan, Biology, Map	English	Sudan	United States Agency for International Development

Highlighted media coverage

Name	Author	Language	Species purview	Substance	Resource link	Year published
Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region (CRC) promotional materials	Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in the Central Region, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	English		Promotional material
From crisis to innovation	Think Tank for Sustainability, Elena Lazutkaite, Emily Kimathi	English		News article	View	2024

Projects

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