Juba – A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) healthcare facility in Pieri, Jonglei state, South Sudan, was struck during an airstrike on the morning of 3 December. After the attack and once the gunship helicopter had left, MSF teams discovered bullet impacts within the facility’s infrastructure. Staff also witnessed additional airstrikes in Lankien, around 60 kilometres away, where MSF operates another healthcare facility, though no structural damage was reported there.

All MSF staff members in both locations remain safe, and no airstrike-related casualties have been reported among the local community. MSF is the only healthcare provider serving the community in Pieri, and its hospital in Lankien is the sole secondary-level facility delivering lifesaving care in the region.

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Throughout 2025, MSF teams have faced several attacks, which resulted in the closure of Old Fangak and Ulang hospitals in May and June, along with the suspension of general healthcare activities in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states.

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“The recent airstrike shows a deeply concerning pattern in which healthcare facilities are repeatedly hit or come under fire during persistent attacks,” said Emmerson Gono, MSF Deputy Head of Mission in South Sudan. “We call for the immediate protection of medical infrastructure, staff and patients in South Sudan.”

MSF runs one of its largest global assistance programmes in South Sudan, addressing extensive health needs driven by ongoing conflict, displacement, recurrent disasters, and disease outbreaks. These challenges are further intensified by a significant decline in international funding for humanitarian and development programmes, as well as the fragile condition of the national healthcare system.