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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Joseph Falzetta

Doctors without Borders say 26 workers are still missing in South Sudan

  • Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has confirmed that 26 of its 291 staff members remain unaccounted for a month after two of its medical facilities in South Sudan's Jonglei State were attacked on 3 February.
  • The incidents involved a hospital in Lankien being bombed by government forces and another medical facility in Pieri raided by "unknown assailants", both situated in opposition-held areas northeast of the capital, Juba.
  • MSF staff, alongside much of the local population, fled into deeply rural areas where armed clashes and aerial bombardments were ongoing, with limited network connectivity hindering communication with missing personnel.
  • The violence in Jonglei State, which has displaced an estimated 280,000 people since December, escalated sharply after opposition forces captured government outposts, prompting a government counteroffensive.
  • MSF stated that these attacks are part of an increasing trend of violence against humanitarian staff and infrastructure, noting that their facilities have been targeted 10 times in the last 12 months, with the head of mission emphasising that medical workers must never be targets.

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