NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that one of its hospitals in South Sudan was targeted by an airstrike conducted by government forces. This incident occurred on Tuesday night and represents the tenth attack on a medical facility run by MSF in the country within the past year.
The hospital, located in Lankien—a town in Jonglei state—has become a focal point of renewed conflict between government forces and opposition troops. In light of intelligence regarding a potential airstrike, MSF evacuated the hospital just hours prior to the attack. Despite the evacuation, one staff member sustained injuries, and the main warehouse housing medical supplies was destroyed.
Gul Badshah, MSF’s operations manager, emphasized that MSF had previously shared the GPS coordinates of its facilities with the government and other conflict parties to prevent such attacks. He noted that the South Sudanese armed forces are the only group capable of conducting aerial bombardments in the country. Requests for comments from government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny and army spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang were not answered.
On the same day, a separate MSF facility in the village of Pieri, also situated in opposition-dominated Jonglei, fell victim to looting by unidentified assailants. MSF indicated that these two healthcare facilities serve as the sole medical providers for approximately 250,000 individuals.
Following heavy fighting, the South Sudanese army launched "Operation Enduring Peace" on January 25, aimed at retaking towns recently seized by opposition forces and restoring order. Civilians in three Jonglei counties were instructed to evacuate immediately, while aid organizations were ordered to leave within 48 hours.
Past events have seen a coalition of opposition forces capture several government outposts in central Jonglei, which is home to the Nuer ethnic group and has long been a stronghold for opposition factions. Some of these forces are loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, while others align with an ethnic militia known as the White Army.
Machar, who was suspended as South Sudan's first vice president last year following an attack on a military garrison in Nasir, now faces treason charges alleged to be connected to that assault. His allies deny any wrongdoing on his part. The ongoing fighting often takes place in remote regions, making it challenging to obtain accurate updates regarding casualties.
The day prior to the army’s announcement of the offensive, a senior military commander infamously urged his forces to "kill all civilians and destroy property" during operations in Jonglei, igniting condemnation from the United Nations and other international entities concerned about the escalating violence against civilians.
Jonglei is recognized as one of South Sudan's most food-insecure regions, plagued by severe health challenges, with the United Nations estimating that approximately 280,000 people have been displaced by conflict and air strikes since December.
Furthermore, MSF accused the South Sudanese government of obstructing humanitarian access in opposition-controlled areas. Abdalla Hussein, MSF’s program manager in South Sudan, warned that "patients will die" if such blockades persist. He described the government's restrictions on humanitarian aid and healthcare access as a "crude political maneuver," emphasizing that it is the civilian population that ultimately suffers the consequences of these decisions.
