| An invasion of locusts that has destroyed millions of hectares of crops in North Africa is heading toward Sudan's vulnerable Darfur region, a UN agency warned. No swarms have yet been reported in Darfur, which is struggling to cope with a conflict that has displaced more than 1 million people, but the risk of infestation is high, the Rome-based UN Food and Agricultural Organization said Thursday. At least 6.5 million hectares (16 million acres) have already been affected in the Maghreb and the vast West Africa region known as the Sahel, while 6.3 million hectares (15.5 million acres) had already been chemically treated, according to Sid Ali Moumene, an Algerian official heading his country's efforts to control the insects. "This is the worst occurrence of locusts in the last 15 years. We don't have a plague now, but we're heading down that road," said Keith Cressman, a locust forecasting officer at the UN agency. |