MSF: Hospitals Must Never Be Targets

(Morobo) – An armed attack on Morobo County Hospital in Central Equatoria State has drawn strong condemnation from the international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). On Friday, unidentified gunmen stormed the public hospital, looted medical supplies, robbed staff, and set two ambulances on fire.

Although no patients or hospital staff were physically injured during the incident, MSF warned that the violent assault seriously threatens healthcare services in a region already suffering from limited access to medical care.

In a statement released after the attack, MSF stressed that such actions weaken the delivery of lifesaving services. “While no staff or patients sustained physical injuries during this incident, such acts of violence severely undermine the already fragile provision of critical healthcare services in an area where communities face limited access to essential medical care,” the charity said.

Morobo County Hospital is one of several facilities in Central Equatoria that MSF supports. In Morobo and Yei counties, MSF assists public hospitals by providing medical supplies, training health workers, and supporting staff salaries, particularly in the maternity unit. However, the organisation confirmed that no MSF staff were present at the hospital during the attack.

MSF also expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation in Yei and Morobo counties, saying it continues to pose serious challenges to delivering humanitarian aid and healthcare services. In May, the group reduced its outreach services in Yei due to increased insecurity, further limiting access to healthcare for communities already struggling with displacement, poverty, and conflict.

The medical charity reiterated that attacks on health facilities violate international humanitarian law and called on all parties to South Sudan’s ongoing conflict to respect civilians, medical staff, and health infrastructure. “Hospitals must never be targeted,” MSF said.

The Morobo incident follows a disturbing trend of attacks on health facilities across South Sudan. Less than two weeks ago, MSF was forced to shut down its operations in Ulang County due to worsening insecurity. The closure affected 13 community health centres and left more than 150,000 people without access to MSF’s services, which include vital maternal healthcare.

Despite these challenges, MSF says it is continuing to assess needs in hard-to-reach and insecure areas, using mobile emergency teams to offer temporary health services wherever conditions allow.

In January 2025, MSF staff were attacked near Nasir after delivering medical supplies to the local hospital. The incident, in which armed men fired at MSF vehicles, forced the suspension of boat-based medical referrals and outreach services in Nasir and Ulang counties. These referrals had allowed pregnant women to safely access care along the Sobat River.

Three months later, in April, gunmen raided Ulang Hospital, threatening patients and staff and looting the facility extensively. According to Zakaria Mwatia, MSF’s Head of Mission in South Sudan, the attackers stole or destroyed nearly all available resources. “They took everything: medical equipment, laptops, patients’ beds and mattresses from the wards, and approximately nine months’ worth of medical supplies, including two planeloads of surgical kits and drugs delivered just the week before,” Mwatia said.

Within a month of that attack, another MSF-supported hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State, was bombed, leaving it completely non-operational. These incidents reflect a growing pattern of violence that is pushing South Sudan’s healthcare system into further crisis.

The repeated targeting of hospitals comes at a time when South Sudan is grappling with widespread displacement, high maternal mortality, and poor access to essential services. International health agencies have repeatedly warned that unless civilian infrastructure is protected, the country’s already fragile health sector could collapse in many areas.