Despite improvements, food gaps persist among poor households in coastal pastoral areas

The Xays/Daada coastal rains (October to February) have largely replenished water sources and restored rangeland conditions despite being below-average in some areas. Food security has improved significantly due to improved livestock body conditions and productivity, increasing food and income access for the predominant, rural, pastoral population, and Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes persist. However, some poor households in Central Pastoral-Lowland and Southeast Pastoral-Border zones remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) as below-average rainfall this season and previous ones have caused livestock losses. 

Across most of Djibouti, household purchasing power has increased as incomes have risen with higher livestock and milk sales, combined with stable, staple cereal prices in most markets in December. However, households continue to spend a substantial portion of their income on food, making them vulnerable to food insecurity, especially for the poor population, who do not have stable income sources.

Djibouti currently hosts about 20,000 refugees from Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea, who are dependent on humanitarian assistance, mainly from WFP and UNHCR, and they remain in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) as they have few productive capacities. Drought conditions experienced in neighboring countries of Ethiopia and Somalia are likely to lead to refugee flows from these countries, increasing competition for limited income opportunities and humanitarian support.