Hunger has hit Bargel County in South Sudan’s Western Lakes State due to poor rains during last year’s farming season, a local official said.

Bargel County Commissioner Saadallah Matit told Radio Tamazuj that his county has been seriously affected by hunger, citing Makur area where more than 7,000 internally displaced people are suffering from hunger.

He further said the displaced families are facing difficulties getting food and medicines, adding that the worsening situation forced many people to depend on wild vegetation to survive.

“People are hungry and they don’t have enough drugs when they fall sick. Many of them are now depending on wild food to survive,” Matit said.

The commissioner called on humanitarian aid agencies and the government to quickly intervene and rescue the needy people as soon as possible.