MSF concerned for unaccounted staff in Lankien and Pieri, South Sudan

MFS cars next to Kajo Keji airstrip. South Sudan February 2025 (Frederic Seguin / MSF)

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of our staff following the recent escalation of violence in Lankien and Pieri, Jonglei state, South Sudan.

In total, 26 of 291 MSF colleagues working in Lankien and Pieri remain unaccounted for following the recent violence, as we have lost contact with them amid the ongoing insecurity. At the time of the fighting, staff had already evacuated our hospital compound in Lankien due to the rising tensions and information about a possible attack on the town. After the evacuation, MSF sought to confirm the whereabouts and safety of all our colleagues, but we have been unable to reach everyone.

Communication networks in the Lankien and Pieri areas are extremely limited. The lack of network access is exacerbated for those who have fled into remote bush areas to seek safety. Our loss of contact may be linked to the absence of connectivity. However, we are seriously concerned that some of our colleagues may be facing difficult conditions that prevent them from communicating with us.

Many of our staff were forced to flee the violence alongside their families. Several are now displaced, sheltering in remote areas with little access to food, water or basic services. Beyond MSF being forced to suspend medical activities for approximately 250,000 people across the two locations, this crisis has directly affected the very health workers who were providing care to their communities.

“This violence has taken an unbearable toll not only on healthcare services but on the very people who kept them running. Medical workers must never be targets,” says Yashovardhan, MSF's head of mission in South Sudan. “We are deeply concerned about what has happened to our colleagues and the communities we serve.”

“Where security conditions allow, we have initiated emergency support in areas where people have sought refuge,” says Yashovardhan. “We are also taking steps to support our staff during this period.”

MSF is making every possible effort to re-establish contact with our missing colleagues and to support all affected staff and their families. The safety and security of our teams remain our highest priority.

MSF reiterates that medical facilities, patients, and healthcare workers must be protected at all times. Attacks on healthcare are unacceptable and deprive communities of essential medical care.

Source: https://www.msf.org/south-sudan-msf-concerned-unaccounted-staff-lankien-and-pieri