26 MSF staff missing as violence halts health services in Jonglei

JUBA – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised alarm over the safety of 26 of its staff members who remain unaccounted for following a recent surge of violence in Lankien and Pieri towns of Jonglei State, a crisis that has also forced the suspension of critical medical services for an estimated 250,000 people.

In a statement issued Monday, the international medical humanitarian organisation said it has lost contact with 26 out of the 291 colleagues working in the two areas after fighting erupted amid reports of a possible attack on the towns. At the time of the clashes, MSF staff had already evacuated hospital compounds due to escalating tensions and security concerns.

MSF said communication networks in Lankien and Pieri are extremely limited, particularly for those who fled into remote bush areas to seek safety. The organisation noted that the loss of contact may be linked to the absence of connectivity. However, it expressed deep concern that some staff members could be facing harsh conditions that are preventing them from reaching out.

According to MSF, many of its workers fled alongside their families as violence spread through the area. Several are now displaced and sheltering in remote locations with little or no access to food, clean water, or basic services. The organisation underscored that the crisis has not only disrupted medical operations but has directly affected the very health workers who were providing life-saving care to their communities.

“This violence has taken an unbearable toll not only on healthcare services but on the very people who kept them running. Medical workers must never be targets,” said Yashovardhan, MSF Head of Mission in South Sudan. He added that the organisation is deeply worried about the fate of its colleagues and the communities that depend on its services. Where security conditions permit, MSF has initiated emergency support in areas where displaced people have sought refuge and is taking steps to assist affected staff during the crisis.

The suspension of medical activities in Lankien and Pieri has left vast populations without access to essential healthcare, compounding the humanitarian situation in a region already prone to conflict and displacement.

MSF said it is making every possible effort to re-establish contact with its missing staff and to provide support to affected employees and their families.

The organisation reiterated that medical facilities, patients, and healthcare workers must be protected at all times, stressing that attacks on healthcare are unacceptable and deprive vulnerable communities of urgently needed services.