A health facility in Morobo County, Central Equatoria State, was violently attacked on Friday night, with two ambulances set ablaze and vital medical supplies looted.
Authorities blame SPLA-IO forces for the assault, which has left the community without access to healthcare and drawn sharp condemnation from local officials and rights groups.
The Commissioner of Morobo County, Charles Data Bullen reported that two functioning ambulances were set ablaze and newly supplied medicines looted in the assault.
“It was unfortunate. The SPLA-IO forces attacked the hospital at night, burnt down two ambulances and looted all the equipment and drugs,” he told reporters.
No casualties were reported as most staff and patients fled the facility before the full assault took place. However, health workers on duty were allegedly threatened and robbed of personal belongings, including laptops and phones.
The commissioner described the attack as a direct assault on civilians, urging the national government to boost security in the region. “Targeting the health sector is like killing the population—they rely on this hospital,” he stated.
Efforts by this outlet to obtain comment from the SPLA-IO were unsuccessful.
Human rights advocate Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, also condemned the attack, calling it “inhuman, degrading,” and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. Yakani urged peace monitoring bodies such as CTSAMVM and the UN Human Rights Commission to investigate.
“As I speak now, the population of Morobo County has no functional medical facility. This is collective punishment,” Yakani said, warning of a disturbing trend where warring factions are turning their weapons on life-saving facilities.
He cited similar incidents, including the recent attack on Pangak Hospital, and appealed for urgent dialogue between armed parties.
“This is the second hospital hit in just days—this is dangerous,” he emphasized.
