Locals shop for bargains in the market place in Djibouti It is not lack of food availablity which causes malnutrition in Djibouti but more lack of ability and means to pay for the food due to poverty and soaring food prices BACKGROUND Drought conditions and high staple food prices have left approximately 441000 people at risk of extreeme food insecurity and in urgent need of emergency food andor nonâfood assistance through the end of 2009 according to the latest government United Nations and FEWS NET estimate Four consecutive years of minimal rains to support pastoral and agropastoral production have left rural and urban Djiboutians even more dependent on food imports at a time when international commodity prices have risen steadily Unless additional assistance is mobilized to address extreme food insecurity particularly in pastoral areas of the northwest and southeast as well as in urban areas conditions are likely to deteriorate further Dry conditions have resulted in high and rising leve