Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has condemned a renewed attack on humanitarian health care after its hospital in Lankien, Jonglei State, was hit by an airstrike carried out by South Sudan government forces during the night of Tuesday, 3 February 2026.
MSF said one staff member sustained minor injuries during the bombardment, while the hospital’s main warehouse was completely destroyed, resulting in the loss of most critical medical supplies needed to provide life-saving care.
The facility had been evacuated hours earlier and patients discharged following rising tensions and credible information warning of a possible attack on the town.
In a separate incident on the same day, MSF’s health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei State, was looted by unknown assailants, rendering it unusable.
MSF said staff from both Lankien and Pieri were forced to flee alongside the local population, and their whereabouts remain unknown as the organization works to re-establish communication.
MSF Operations Manager Gul Badshah said the attack occurred despite the organization sharing GPS coordinates of all its facilities with the government and other parties to the conflict.
“We received confirmation that they are aware of our locations,” Badshah said, adding that government forces are the only armed actors in South Sudan with the capacity to carry out aerial attacks.
The destruction of the Lankien hospital and the looting of the Pieri facility have left an estimated 250,000 people without access to health care, as MSF was the sole medical provider in the two locations.
MSF warned that the loss of services will have severe consequences for children, pregnant women, and people living with chronic or life-threatening conditions.
The organization also linked the attack to ongoing restrictions on humanitarian access imposed by the government in parts of opposition-held areas of Jonglei State since December, which have already limited MSF’s ability to deliver essential medical assistance.
“While we are fully aware of the immense humanitarian needs in South Sudan, it is unacceptable for health care workers and facilities to be targeted,” Badshah said, noting that MSF will take necessary decisions to protect the safety of its staff and patients.
In 2025 alone, MSF recorded eight targeted attacks on its operations, forcing the closure of two hospitals in Greater Upper Nile and the suspension of general health services in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states.
MSF has worked in South Sudan for more than four decades, providing critical medical care across seven states and two administrative areas.
In 2025, the organization delivered over 830,000 outpatient consultations, treated more than 93,000 inpatients, performed 12,000 surgeries, and screened more than 107,000 children for malnutrition.
MSF warned that repeated attacks on medical facilities risk further eroding humanitarian space and leaving already vulnerable communities without any access to life-saving health services.
