NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Any gains achieved in the embattled nation of Somalia are very fragile and require sustained support from the international community, a U.N. official said.
Mark Bowden, a U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said during a news conference from New York that international donors managed to come forward with $1.3 billion for Somali relief efforts.
"That enabled us to have a tremendous impact on the both the nutritional status and mortality figures facing children and adults across Somalia," he said.
Any gains made in Somalia, however, are "very fragile" and require sustained support from members of the international community.
"So, part of Somalia's story is a success, but as ever in a place like Somalia success is limited," he said.
Al-Shabaab, a militant group in control over much of southern Somalia, was accused of blocking the distribution of humanitarian aid in the country. It also banned some members of the humanitarian community from working in the area.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the few humanitarian groups still left in the country, said Thursday it had to halt distributions of food aid because deliveries to central and southern Somalia were blocked.
