According to MSF, the incident follows a government-led offensive and evacuation order issued on 6 March in Akobo, located along the South Sudan–Ethiopia border.
The organisation said it evacuated its medical team on 7 March as tensions escalated.
Subsequent clashes reportedly broke out between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) before the national army took control of the area on 10 March.
When MSF teams returned to Akobo on 23 March, they found the hospital and their offices had been completely stripped of supplies and equipment.
“The hospital has been rendered completely inoperable, making any resumption of medical services in the foreseeable future impossible,” said Christopher Garnier.
“Medicines were not simply looted; they were intentionally sabotaged and destroyed, as if to prevent care from being delivered.” He added.
He added that all essential items, including approximately 50 hospital beds, medical equipment, and furniture, had been removed.
MSF emphasised that the facility, which previously served more than 100,000 people in the remote region, was not damaged during the fight itself but was instead systematically emptied.
The organisation is now calling for a full investigation into the incident, as well as clear guarantees of safety before it can consider resuming operations in the area.
The destruction of the hospital has further deepened an already dire humanitarian situation in Akobo, where access to healthcare was largely dependent on MSF’s services.
Aid groups warn that the loss of medical capacity could leave vulnerable populations without critical treatment amid ongoing insecurity.
MSF has urged all parties involved in the conflict to respect medical facilities and ensure the protection of healthcare workers and infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law.
