Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has accused the South Sudanese government of deliberately restricting humanitarian access to opposition-held areas of Jonglei State, warning that the move is placing hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk.
According to MSF, government-imposed restrictions introduced in December 2025 have halted all humanitarian flights to key locations including Lankien, Pieri, and Akobo. The suspension has made it nearly impossible to deliver medical supplies, deploy health workers, or evacuate critically ill patients.
As of 29 January, MSF reported that at least 23 critically ill patients in Lankien and Pieri urgently require medical referrals, with their lives now in immediate danger due to the lack of access.
“Patients will die if the government continues to block humanitarian and medical access in Jonglei,” said Abdalla Hussein, MSF Desk Manager for South Sudan. “Imposing restrictions on humanitarian aid and preventing people from accessing healthcare is a crude political manoeuvre. Civilians are paying the price, and this must stop immediately.”
The allegations come despite recent public assurances from the Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services, Hon. Ateny Wek Ateny who promised that civilians in Jonglei would be protected by the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and that humanitarian supplies would be allowed to reach affected communities.
MSF, however, says the reality on the ground contradicts those assurances. The organisation claims that worsening insecurity and official restrictions have forced it to evacuate staff from Lankien and Akobo, while medical services in Pieri were reduced to emergency and life-saving care only. On 29 January, MSF teams in Pieri were compelled to abandon the facility altogether due to the imminent threat of armed conflict.
“We had to discharge most of our patients, collect emergency medical kits, and flee alongside the local community,” MSF said in a statement.
MSF is currently the sole healthcare provider for approximately 250,000 people in Lankien and Pieri, as well as another 112,000 residents in Akobo. The organisation warns that nearly 400,000 people could be left without any form of healthcare if access is not restored.
“It is unacceptable to hear statements from authority figures suggesting that mass violence and forced displacement of civilians could be used,” Hussein added. “The government must urgently reassure the protection of civilians.”
Gul Badshah, MSF Operations Manager for South Sudan, said ongoing conflict and displacement in Jonglei are deepening civilian vulnerability and overwhelming already fragile health services.
“All armed groups and political actors share responsibility to protect civilians, healthcare workers, and medical facilities,” Badshah said. “Any attacks, threats, or interference with medical activities put lives at risk and must stop.”
MSF also warned that if humanitarian organisations are unable to resupply medical facilities during the current dry season—when roads remain passable—the humanitarian consequences could be severe and long-lasting.
South Sudan continues to face overlapping humanitarian crises, including conflict, displacement, food insecurity, and limited access to healthcare. MSF has operated in the country since 1983 and is one of its largest medical humanitarian actors, providing over 830,000 outpatient consultations and more than 12,000 surgeries in 2025 alone.
The organization is calling for sustained and predictable humanitarian access to Jonglei State, stressing that without it, health outcomes for civilians will continue to deteriorate rapidly.
