Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has accused South Sudan government forces of carrying out an airstrike that hit its hospital in Lankien, Jonglei State, destroying critical medical supplies and forcing the suspension of life-saving healthcare services for hundreds of thousands of people. The government has not yet responded to the allegation.
According to MSF, the attack occurred during the night of Tuesday, 3 February 2026, when an aerial bombardment struck the organization’s hospital compound in Lankien. One MSF staff member sustained minor injuries, while the hospital’s main warehouse was completely destroyed, resulting in the loss of most essential medical supplies.
In a separate incident earlier the same day, MSF said its health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei State, was looted by unknown assailants, rendering it non-functional. Following the two incidents, MSF staff in both locations fled alongside local communities, and their whereabouts remained unknown as of Wednesday, as the organization attempted to re-establish communication.
MSF said the Lankien hospital had been evacuated and patients discharged several hours before the airstrike, after the organization received information warning of a possible attack amid rising tensions in the area.
“MSF shared the GPS coordinates of all our facilities with the government and other parties to the conflict, and we received confirmation that they are aware of our locations,” said Gul Badshah, MSF’s Operations Manager.
“The South Sudan government armed forces are the only armed actor in the country with the capacity to carry out aerial attacks,” he added.
Badshah also noted that the looting of the Pieri health facility took place hours before the bombardment of Lankien hospital, leaving communities in both areas without access to medical care.
MSF said it was the only healthcare provider serving an estimated 250,000 people in Lankien and Pieri. The attacks, the organization warned, will leave already vulnerable communities without any form of healthcare.
“Given the current context, we will make the necessary decisions to protect the safety of our staff and healthcare facilities in South Sudan,” Badshah said. “While we recognize the immense humanitarian needs, it is unacceptable for medical facilities to be targeted.”
The organization said the incident followed restrictions on humanitarian access imposed by the government in parts of opposition-held areas of Jonglei State since December, which MSF says have limited its ability to deliver essential medical assistance. Such restrictions, MSF warned, pose severe risks to children, pregnant women, and people with chronic or life-threatening conditions.
MSF reported that in 2025 alone, it experienced eight targeted attacks on its facilities, leading to the closure of two hospitals in Greater Upper Nile and the suspension of general healthcare activities in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states.
MSF has operated in South Sudan since 1983 and is among the country’s largest medical humanitarian organizations. The group currently works in seven states and two administrative areas. In 2025, MSF said it provided more than 830,000 outpatient consultations, treated over 93,000 inpatients, conducted 12,000 surgeries, and screened 107,000 childrenfor malnutrition.
As of publication, the Government of South Sudan had not issued an official response to MSF’s allegations regarding the airstrike and looting incidents.
