The Associated Press

KANDAK, South Sudan (AP) " The U.N. and South Sudan's government say five years into South Sudan's civil war more than seven million people are facing severe hunger without food aid.

Aid workers warn that a recent surge in fighting could once again plunge thousands of people into famine.

Ayod is one of 11 counties in South Sudan that face extreme hunger. Remote and lacking basic resources like water and health care, the majority of people subsist on food aid.

During a visit to Kandak, AP spoke with several people who said they had nothing to eat.

Authorities in Kandak estimate that half the population, or about 9,000 people, have been displaced from other parts of Jonglei state, which has been at the heart of the fighting. Since March about 1,800 people have arrived.