The main rainy season in Djibouti has been poor, prompting fears that some pastoralist households could face serious food shortages in the coming months. "Consecutive seasons of poor rainfall, a possible failure of the current Heys/Dada rains, high staple food prices and a significant reduction in emergency food aid distribution are pushing households towards extreme food insecurity," the Famine Early Warning System Network said.. The Heys/Dada rains are the main source of water, especially in the coastal grazing belt. "In most areas, no significant rains were observed in November, normally the period of peak rainfall, suggesting that the season may be a complete failure," FEWS Net said. "Earlier rains in 2009 were also below normal." The situation comes at a time when the WFP has reduced general emergency food aid distributions in most pastoral areas by nearly 74 percent, compared with last year. (IRIN)
