By Deng Ghai Deng and Bosco Bush
French medical charity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended all its outreach activities in Yei until further notice after a critical security incident on Friday, September 20, 2024.
The incident involved MSF staff and staff from a partner organization.
According to the press statement released on Tuesday, MSF strongly condemns the attack, which occurred around 3 pm when two marked MSF vehicles returning from an outreach activity were stopped by armed men.
It said the attackers forced the staff to disembark at gunpoint, looted belongings, and abducted one MSF staff member and one partner organization staff member. The abducted staff were released 24 hours later.
“This unacceptable attack on neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance deeply shocks us,” said Iqbal Huda (Tidal), MSF Head of Mission in South Sudan. “Our outreach activities in Yei and Morobo are suspended until we can ensure the safety of our operations and staff.”
This marks the third attack on humanitarian organizations in Yei in three months, highlighting a systematic threat to humanitarian aid.
The suspension of MSF activities leaves vulnerable communities without essential healthcare services.
MSF calls for concrete guarantees for the safety of medical and humanitarian services to resume lifesaving work in the area.
In the recently celebrated World Humanitarian Day, the UNOCHA report indicates that South Sudan remains one of the most perilous environments for humanitarian workers in 2024, with 24 attacks on aid workers recorded so far this year.
Access constraints across the country hamper efforts to deliver urgent, life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable populations.
Between January and July, 267 humanitarian access incidents were reported, with 135 incidents involving direct violence against humanitarian personnel and assets, including 28 incidents of looting and theft.
Escalating insecurity has forced 15 humanitarian staff to relocate from their operational areas