Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended all operational activities in Yei River and Morobo counties in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State for a minimum of six weeks following the abduction of an MSF staff member, occurring just four days after the abduction of health ministry staff from an MSF ambulance on the same road and location. Fortunately, our colleague was released some hours after the abduction.
The incident occurred on July 29 during an evacuation of MSF staff from Morobo to Yei amid deteriorating security conditions. The four-vehicle convoy was stopped by armed gunmen who ordered the MSF staff member, who was serving as the team leader of the convoy, out of the vehicle and pulled him into the thickets, while allowing the other vehicles and staff to proceed to Yei.
“We are outraged by this targeted attack,” said Dr. Ferdinand Atte, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan. “Attacks on humanitarian workers serving the most vulnerable members of the society must stop. While we are deeply committed to providing care to those in need, we cannot keep our staff working in an unsafe environment.”
This attack is part of a disturbing trend
This abduction is part of a disturbing trend of targeted violence on health care and aid workers in these counties. In just three months, several incidents of violence targeting aid workers and healthcare facilities have been reported in Morobo, including forceful abductions, arson, violent looting of hospitals, and damage to medical infrastructure. Seven of these incidents involved the abduction of aid workers.
“We demand accountability and concrete guarantees from the authorities and all parties involved in the conflict, including armed groups in Morobo and Yei River counties,” Dr. Atte said. “It is crucial to ensure safe and unobstructed access to populations in need and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including health care workers, patients, and medical facilities, before we can consider resuming our activities.”
Attacks on health care in South Sudan in 2025
Since the start of the year, MSF has witnessed a worrying increase in attacks targeting health care workers and facilities in South Sudan:
- In January, two clearly marked MSF boats traveling from Nasir to Ulang in Upper Nile state came under attack when unidentified gunmen opened fire, forcing the MSF staff aboard to jump into the river and swim to safety in a nearby village. One staff member sustained an injury while escaping the attack and had to receive medical treatment.
- On April 14, 2025, MSF's hospital in Ulang was violently looted by armed men in broad daylight, destroying property and threatening patients and staff. This attack led to the full closure of all hospital and outreach activities. The Ulang hospital was the only functioning hospital in the county, and these events have led to devastating consequences for the population, leaving more than 150,000 people without access to life-saving medical care.
- On May 3, the MSF hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei state, was bombed by two gunship helicopters, destroying the pharmacy and vital medical resources, rendering provision of medical care in the facility impossible. The helicopters also fired on the community, killing at least seven people and injuring 27. A total of four MSF staff were among the wounded.
The residents of Yei River and Morobo counties live in remote and hard-to-reach areas, frequently cut off from essential services due to limited infrastructure and armed conflict. As a result, they heavily rely on humanitarian organizations like MSF for essential services.
Today’s closure decision marks the second time MSF has been compelled to reduce provision of medical services in the area in under three months. In May, we were forced to reduce activities due to escalating insecurity in the area. MSF has also suspended all activities in camps for internally displaced persons due to the relentless violence in Morobo County.
“MSF is one of the few medical organizations providing support to various health care facilities in this area,” said Dr. Atte. “When such attacks occur, it is the local people who suffer the most, as it severely undermines their access to essential health care.”
In Yei River and Morobo counties, MSF provides primary health care services by supporting four Ministry of Health facilities, offering outpatient consultations, routine vaccinations, and maternal and child health care. MSF also conducts mobile clinics and supports community-based health care through the Boma Health Initiative program in the area. Between January and June 2025, MSF conducted 14,500 outpatient consultations, 1,192 prenatal consultations, and assisted in 438 maternal deliveries in this area.
