17/08/04 (B259) Selon une dépêche publiée en anglais par l’IRIN (information http://www.fews.net) , la situation économique à Djibouti se serait dramatiquement agravée depuis un an. En particulier, une augmentation de 25 à 30 % des prix depuis un an !

__________________________________ Texte original en Anglais

DJIBOUTI, 9 Aug 2004 (IRIN) – Food prices have fallen for the very
poor in Djibouti’s capital, Djibouti-ville, but the cost of living will probably
rise in the coming months, forcing many of the residents to choose between
food and school, a food security report warned.

A month ago, the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS
NET) reported that food prices had risen between 25 and 30 percent since August
2003. It warned that should the trend continue, then a significant number
of Djiboutian households could face a food crisis.

Between May and June, however, the expenditure basket of Djibouti-ville’s
"very poor" fell by four percent, a July report by FEWS Net said,
adding that incomes too had tended to fall by 10-15 percent from June to August
figures.

"The very poor will be unable to cover all their costs this summer
and will be faced with difficult choices, such as whether to cut back on schooling
or on food consumption," FEWS Net said.

It recommended the creation of income generating activities for the poor
during this period, extension of school feeding programmes to poorer urban
areas, reduction in the cost of education and of tax on importation of staple
foods and further reductions on kerosene tax.

The report noted that during this period, water would be in much shorter
supply and there was a much-increased risk of fire in the confined poorer
areas of the city, where most of the houses are built of wood and corrugated
iron.