Locust feed on a plant. File photo

The third generation of desert locusts have begun to devastate the eastern part of Eastern Equatoria State, an official has said.

On Monday, swarms of the locust were seen hovering over Kapoeta town and infesting most of the surrounding areas.

The national Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security earlier confirmed that the arrival of locusts had been sighted in Magwi County.

It destroyed farms in Lobone, Magwi, Panyikwara and Owiny-kibul.

This week’s locust invasion came through Turkana County in Kenya.

In June, authorities in Kenya reported sightings of mature copulating swarms in pastures, farmlands as well as urban centers in Turkana South sub-county.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, said Turkana is now the epicenter of desert locust control measures, with the highest number of hopper band sites reported.

They have now moved into South Sudan’s Kapoeta County which borders Turkana County in Kenya.

An official in Kapoeta town says the locust were mainly seen in the eastern part of the county.

Eriga David (former secretary-general of defunct Kapoeta state) stated that an assessment of the magnitude of destruction caused by the locusts is yet to be made.

“They entered through Kenya that side of Nadapal and the eastern part of the town,” he told Eye Radio.

Eriga added that a team from FAO has been asked to assess the damage inflicted by the insects on farmlands in the area.

Last month, the European Union gave FAO an additional 16 million US dollars to confront the desert locusts in East Africa.

The agency said South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan remain at risk because of heavy spring rains that create ideal conditions for the locusts to breed and spread.

The Desert Locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world.

A small swarm covering one square kilometer can eat the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.

South Sudan had said it will cost over 2 billion South Sudanese Pounds to respond to the locust invasion.