20100814
xinhuanet

NAIROBI -- There are "critical gaps" in assistance in some of the key areas where the Somali people need help, a senior UN official has said.

Mark Bowden, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview that although donors had been generous in giving to Somalia, the amount of humanitarian assistance coming to the war- torn country has gone smaller and smaller in proportion to the need.

"Last year we manage to get 650 million dollars worth of assistance to Somalia and there is still that level of need," he said. "But this year it looked a little bit as if we will receive between 300 and 400 million dollars worth of assistance and we have critical gaps in assistance in some of the key areas where people need help."

Bowden took for example the provision of water and sanitation. "They are very badly funded. The housing sector is also very badly funded and it is important that we are better able to address these issues if we are really to get the right kind of help for the people in Somalia."

Civilian in Somalia have always suffered from the fighting that took grip of the horn of Africa country which has been in chaos over the past two decades.

Bowden said so far piracy hasn't affected the humanitarian response in Somalia because the assistance provided to the country is protected by naval convoys.