The United Nations has said that humanitarian needs in Somalia remain vast despite of the onset of seasonal rains in the south at the end of April and first week of May.

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press release received in Nairobi Thursday that the rains have also alleviated the water crisis in the region and helped to initiate rangeland recovery.

"Good and generally well-distributed rains have fallen over southern and northern Somalia, mitigating the effects of the drought that has affected much of the Horn of Africa this year," it said.

However, OCHA cautioned that a clearer understanding of the rains' impact will only be possible towards the end of May and that humanitarian needs in Somalia will remain vast even if the rains continue to be good.

"While the humanitarian community is fully engaged in responding to the needs, other factors continue to affect the pace, coverage and implementation of the response, including logistical constraints due to lack of infrastructure, insecurity, lack of sustainable access and humanitarian space, lack of local partners and operational capacity, and delayed funding from donors," it said.

OCHA said rainfall in the south has been heavy enough in some areas to cause flooding, preventing relief workers from getting emergency food aid to those in need.

"The torrential rains in southern Somalia are now affecting humanitarian operations and access, particularly in the areas of Gedo, Middle and Lower Juba, Middle Shabelle and Hiran," it said.

The heavy rainfall has also caused localized flooding in several towns along the Juba and Shabelle rivers, which could further increase if rains, in Somalia or in the Ethiopian highlands, continue.

The UN has appealed for 327 million U.S. dollars this year from international donors for emergency food, agricultural, water and sanitation needs but so far just 29 percent of that has been received, the office said.

The searing famine in Somalia is part of a broader crisis that has afflicted a broad swath of East Africa, leaving millions of people short of food and killing tens of thousands of livestock and several hundred people.

Somalia has been a patchwork of feuding warlords for the past 15 years, following the 1991 overthrow of a military leader. Sporadic violence has made much of the country a nightmare for international aid workers.

Source: Xinhua