Djibouti is one of four countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia that have been hit hard by drought. 

 To assess the impact of the drought and the impact of Somali refugees arriving in Djibouti, staff from USAID/Djibouti, USAID/EA and the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti visited the Ali Addeh refugee camp in July, which is 80 kms south west of the Djiboutian capital (and 250 kms from the Somali border).  The camp supports approximately 17,000 refugees with a weekly influx of approximately 500 new refugees.  Most refugees come from Somalia and Ethiopia.  USAID’s Food For Peace program, working with international partners, helps support the basic needs of this population through the provision of food, clean water and basic health services.  Refugees who were interviewed expressed satisfaction with services provided.  Due to increasing numbers of refugees, the Government of Djibouti has allocated land for a second refugee camp that will have a capacity of 15,000 people. 

 The team also visited several rural communities approximately 20 kms from the refugee camp and urban communities in the Djiboutian capital, where USAID provides food assistance.  

 The situation in many areas outside the refugee camp was dire, lacking food and water, with extreme maternal and child malnutrition, temperatures over 100F, and animals dying due to the lack of water.