Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
More than 256,000 people in Djibouti, about 25 percent of the population, are expected to face crisis or emergency-level hunger in the coming months, according to a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a UN-backed global food monitoring network.
The report highlights a significant rise in hunger compared to data from May to June. Refugees in the Ali Addeh and Holl-Holl camps are among the hardest hit, with nearly 70 percent—over 21,000 individuals—classified at crisis level or higher, mostly relying on food assistance.
The report cites three main factors driving the hunger increase: expected El Niño conditions causing irregular rain, rising temperatures, and droughts impacting water availability and agriculture; disruptions to trade and geopolitical tensions around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, raising food import costs and affecting supply chains; and economic shocks including inflation, which reduce household purchasing power and slow economic growth.
IPC notes that current food assistance is inadequate, leaving many recipients with significant food consumption deficits and high rates of acute malnutrition. The IPC was established to provide standardized measurements of food security and nutrition to help prevent widespread starvation and famine.
The report calls for urgent action to reduce food consumption deficits, address vulnerabilities, and strengthen resilience to prevent worsening hunger in Djibouti.