Djibouti — humanitarian situation

Djibouti faces compounding humanitarian pressures driven by persistent drought conditions, storm-related displacement, and acute food insecurity affecting vulnerable populations. Rainfall deficits have affected the country continuously from May through July 2026, part of broader dry conditions across northern Eastern Africa IGAD. This drought comes amid forecasts of a very strong El Niño event expected during the October–December rainy season, which may bring severe flooding risks to the region where 48.5 million people already require humanitarian assistance OCHA. On 27 July, a severe windstorm accompanied by heavy rainfall struck Mouloud locality in Dhikil region, affecting more than 4,160 people across 693 households, with approximately 290 households (1,740 people) experiencing destroyed or damaged shelters IFRC. Food security conditions are critical. Between May and June 2026, approximately 166,000 people—16 percent of the 1.03 million analyzed population—are experiencing high acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 or above, including around 17,000 people (2 percent) in Emergency conditions at IPC Phase 4 IPC. Refugees living in camps represent the most severely affected population by prevalence, with 47 percent or approximately 15,000 individuals facing acute food insecurity. These conditions are consistent with widespread soil moisture deficits and vegetation stress documented across the northern sector of Eastern Africa IGAD. Djibouti remains a critical transit point along the Eastern Route, one of the world's busiest and most dangerous migration corridors where hundreds of thousands of migrants travel irregularly, often relying on smugglers to facilitate movement through Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and onward to Yemen IOM. The convergence of environmental shocks, migration flows, and pre-existing vulnerabilities places significant strain on humanitarian response capacity as the country braces for potential flooding associated with the intensifying El Niño event in the coming months.