from ANYANG GARANG in Juba, South Sudan
South Sudan Bureau
JUBA, (CAJ News) – MEDECINS Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced the phased resumption of its medical activities in Yei County, Central Equatoria State, South Sudan over three months after suspending operations due to escalating insecurity.
The suspension, enacted on 5 August 2025, followed a spate of violent incidents along key transport routes, including the abduction of an MSF staff member just days after a Ministry of Health employee was taken from an MSF ambulance.
These events highlighted the extreme risks faced by humanitarian workers in the region, prompting MSF to halt services in both Yei and Morobo counties while redesigning its operations to enhance staff safety.
“Providing essential care to mothers, children, and people fleeing violence has always been our motivation,” said Dr Ferdinand Atte, MSF Country Coordinator for South Sudan.
“Suspending activities was difficult but necessary. Our commitment to neutral, impartial care remains unchanged as we resume services in a safer, phased approach.”
The redesigned project will focus on Yei Payam, strengthening emergency and maternal care at Yei Civil Hospital, including upgrades to the maternity department and operating theatre for life-saving surgeries such as caesarean sections.
Primary healthcare support will continue at Jansuk Clinic, the busiest facility in the county. MSF will also expand services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, integrating community-based support with the one-stop centre at Yei Hospital.
However, outreach activities in remote areas, including Morobo County and the Boma Health Initiative, will remain suspended for now due to ongoing security risks.
MSF is actively engaging stakeholders to explore safer ways to support health facilities outside Yei town.
Central Equatoria remains a hotspot of conflict, with rising numbers of internally displaced persons straining limited healthcare resources.
MSF has urged all parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety of medical and humanitarian personnel, emphasizing that access to healthcare must not be compromised by insecurity.
– CAJ News