MSF Condemns Assault on Health Facility in Equatoria

(Morobo) – Armed attackers targeted Morobo County Hospital in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State on the night of Friday, June 20, 2025, in a violent incident that further threatens health services in the region. According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the assailants looted medical supplies, robbed hospital staff, and torched two ambulances parked at the facility. Though no injuries were reported among patients or staff, the impact on an already fragile healthcare system is severe.

Morobo County Hospital is a public health facility under the Ministry of Health and is supported by MSF in both Morobo and Yei counties. The organisation contributes to the maternity department by supplying medical equipment, training healthcare personnel, and supplementing salaries. MSF confirmed that none of its personnel were on-site during the incident.

The security situation in Central Equatoria remains unstable, particularly in Yei and Morobo counties. This latest incident comes just weeks after MSF was forced to scale back its outreach medical services in Yei in May due to rising insecurity. That decision disrupted access to essential health care for thousands of people, many of whom already struggle to find medical attention due to conflict and poor infrastructure.

MSF denounced the Morobo hospital attack as a violation of international humanitarian law and called on all armed actors in South Sudan to respect the neutrality of medical facilities. The organisation stressed that civilians, including patients and healthcare workers, must be protected and that health centres should never become targets.

South Sudan’s healthcare system, already one of the weakest in the region, continues to suffer from the effects of conflict and underfunding. Incidents like the Morobo attack not only damage critical infrastructure but also increase fear among healthcare workers and patients alike.

The value of the stolen medical supplies and destroyed ambulances was not specified, but the loss could run into millions of South Sudanese Pounds (SSP).