Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended all operational activities in Yei River and Morobo counties in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan, for at least six weeks following the abduction of one of its staff members. The incident took place during the evacuation of MSF personnel from Morobo to Yei due to deteriorating security conditions. A four-vehicle convoy carrying the staff was stopped by armed men who forcibly removed the team leader from one of the vehicles and led him into nearby thickets. The remaining vehicles and staff were allowed to continue to Yei without harm.
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This abduction occurred just four days after a similar incident in which a Ministry of Health staff member was taken from an MSF ambulance along the same road and location. That individual was released shortly after the incident. MSF has confirmed that its own staff member was also later released. In light of these events and the increasing risks to humanitarian personnel in the region, MSF has decided to temporarily halt its operations while the security situation is reassessed.
“We are outraged by this targeted attack. Attacks on humanitarian workers serving the most vulnerable members of the society must stop,” says Dr Ferdinand Atte, MSF head of mission in South Sudan. “While we are deeply committed to providing care to those in need, we cannot keep our staff working in an unsafe environment.”
”We demand accountability and concrete guarantees from the authorities and all parties involved in the conflict, including armed groups in Morobo and Yei River counties,” says Dr Atte. “It is crucial to ensure safe and unobstructed access to populations in need, and to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including healthcare workers, patients, and medical facilities, before we can consider resuming our activities.”
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“MSF is one of the few medical organisations providing support to various healthcare facilities in this area,” says Dr Atte. “When such attacks occur, it is the local people who suffer the most, as it severely undermines their access to essential healthcare.”
In Yei River and Morobo counties, MSF provides general healthcare services by supporting four Ministry of Health facilities, offering outpatient consultations, routine vaccinations, and maternal and child healthcare. MSF also conducts mobile clinics and supports community-based healthcare through the Boma Health Initiative programme in the area. Between January and June 2025, MSF teams conducted 14,500 outpatient consultations, 1,192 antenatal consultations, and assisted in 438 births in this area.
