By Otto Abut

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has suspended all medical services in Ulang County following an armed attack and looting of its health facility in the early hours of April 14.

According to MSF’s Head of Mission in South Sudan, Zakariya Mwatia, dozens of armed men stormed the MSF hospital and offices in Ulang town, threatened staff members, and looted essential medical supplies and equipment.

“We are outraged by the attack on our hospital and the threats made against our medical staff in Ulang,” Mwatia said.

The incident has forced MSF to halt all medical operations at the Ulang hospital, the only functioning health facility in the area.

“This facility has been a lifeline for the community during a time of escalating violence and an active cholera outbreak. Such attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers are completely unacceptable,” Mwatia emphasized.

More than 100 patients who were receiving critical treatment, including trauma care, maternity services, and pediatric care, fled the hospital in fear as violence approached the town.

While no injuries to MSF staff were reported, the organization expressed deep concern over the safety of both staff and patients.

This incident follows a pattern of rising insecurity. In January 2025, two MSF-marked boats carrying six staff members were attacked by armed men while returning to Ulang after delivering medical supplies to Nasir County Hospital. That incident led MSF to suspend all outreach activities in the region.

Since 2018, MSF has been operating a secondary healthcare hospital and a network of decentralized primary healthcare services in Ulang. In 2024 alone, the organization provided over 10,000 outpatient consultations, admitted 3,284 patients for inpatient care, and assisted in 650 deliveries at the 60-bed hospital.