The International Committee of the Red Cross says it hopes to deliver aid to one-million starving Somalis in the hardest-hit famine regions by the end of the year.

Spokeswoman Nicole Engelbrecht told VOA on Wednesday that people in southern and central Somalia desperately need food, water, health care and other emergency aid just to stay alive.

She added there is no hope the situation will improve until the next harvest in December. And that will happen only if the rainy season, which begins in October, is good.

Because food shortages are expected to persist, the spokeswoman said the need for major relief efforts will continue, especially in the country's six famine zones where people must deal with drought and conflict.

Large portions of southern and central Somalia are under the control of al-Shabab militants, who are fighting to overthrow the weak transitional government and impose strict Islamic law.

The ICRC is among the few aid agencies that can operate freely in areas under al-Shabab's control. Engelbrecht said the al-Qaida-linked group views the Red Cross as a neutral agency.

The agency plans will focus on providing lifesaving aid and boosting support for feeding centers run by the Somali Red Crescent this year.

On Tuesday, a United Nations report said about 1.85 million Somalis have received food aid. But the report added that four million Somalis are remain in crisis and some 750,000 others risk death within the next four months.