Photo Credit|MSF

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has called for accountability and stronger protection of medical facilities in South Sudan, marking one year since the bombing of its hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State.

On 3 May 2025, MSF says its hospital in Old Fangak was deliberately bombed by South Sudanese government forces despite being clearly marked and its GPS coordinates shared with authorities.

A drone strike later hit the nearby market. Seven people were killed, 27 were injured—including four MSF staff. The hospital has remained closed since the attack.

MSF says the bombing, along with a similar attack on its facility in Lankien in February 2026, has left only two functioning hospitals serving conflict-affected areas of Jonglei State, which has a population of more than one million people.

Both remaining hospitals are operated by MSF. The organisation warns that another attack could collapse the already fragile healthcare system in the region.

“The bombings of Old Fangak and Lankien by South Sudanese government forces cannot go unanswered,” said MSF President Isabelle Defourny. “MSF calls on the South Sudanese authorities to provide clear explanations and make a formal, public commitment to protect hospitals and health workers. Attacks on healthcare are violations of international humanitarian law. They must stop.”

MSF reports that since January 2025, armed conflict between government forces—the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and allied Ugandan forces (UPDF)—and opposition groups including SPLA-IO, NAS, and the Nuer White Army has intensified, with a sharp rise in airstrikes.

According to MSF, 138 airstrikes were recorded in 2025 compared to just two in 2024, with further strikes continuing into 2026, mainly in Jonglei State.

Between January 2025 and April 2026, MSF says it has recorded 12 attacks on its staff and facilities across South Sudan, including bombings, looting of hospitals in Ulang, Pieri, and Akobo, and abductions of staff. All affected facilities have been forced to suspend services, with only limited partial reopening in Pieri.

The organisation says more than 400,000 people lost access to healthcare after the Old Fangak bombing and Ulang looting in 2025, while a further 366,000 were affected in early 2026 following attacks in Lankien, Pieri, and Akobo. MSF warns there is now no surgical capacity in conflict-affected areas of Jonglei State.

MSF also highlighted the collapse of services in Akobo, where a government evacuation order in March 2026 led to widespread looting and destruction of infrastructure.

“Elderly people and people with disabilities were left behind. People were killed, they died from hunger and lack of water,” an MSF staff member said.

MSF is urging all parties to the conflict to immediately stop attacks on health facilities and guarantee their protection, stressing that hospitals must never be considered military targets.

“No military objective can ever justify bombing a hospital, killing health workers, or depriving an entire population of care,” MSF said. “Without accountability, impunity prevails.”