Locusts invade flood-hit fields in Sudan
By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Desert locusts have invaded flood-hit regions of Sudan, bringing fresh misery to farmers already struggling with downpours and a rise in water-borne disease, officials said on Thursday.
An officer from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said she had unconfirmed reports that insects had started destroying crops in one remote region near the Eritrean border.
A Sudanese agriculture official said Khartoum was sending fast-response teams to four regions -- one just 90 km (56 miles) northwest of the capital Khartoum -- where locusts have been seen laying eggs or hatching.
Wegdan Abdel Rahman, from the FAO's office in north-eastern Kassala region, said farmers had been bringing in reports of devastated crops.
"The farmers said the locusts had eaten everything, pasture and sorghum," she said.
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