By Kei Emmanuel Duku
Central Equatoria State (CES) Government has condemned a recent attack on health facility in Morobo County, where vital medical supplies were looted and ambulances set ablaze.
The assault, attributed to elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition PLA-IO, occurred on Friday, June 20, 2025, around 9 p.m. CAT, when attackers infiltrated the facility located on the outskirts of the town.
According to a press release issued by the state Acting Minister of Information and Communication, Jacob Aligo Lo-Lado, the assailants locked all on-duty staff in a single room before proceeding to loot medicines from the store.
Further exacerbating the critical healthcare situation in the county, the aggressors also set two ambulances, ablaze.
The vehicles are crucial for transporting rural communities, particularly vulnerable groups like expectant mothers, children, and the elderly, who often face fatal delays when using alternative, slower means of transport to reach medical aid.
The CES government underscored that such attacks on medical facilities constitute a gross violation of international law, which explicitly prohibits all forms of assaults on hospitals, patients, healthcare staff, and means of medical transport.
These protective measures, the statement highlighted, were flagrantly disregarded in Morobo.
“This deliberate act is aimed at denying the citizens of the area their right to access medical care for healthy living,” stated Aligo.
The state minister extended government’s sympathy and solidarity to the local population of Morobo County affected by the inhuman act of the attackers
He called on the leadership of the SPLA-IO and other hold-out groups operating within the state to immediately cease all attacks on vital infrastructure essential for rendering basic services to citizens and also demand an end to the looting of civilian populations in villages and ambushes against road users, noting that “Our people are hustling to make money to support their families in light of the prevailing economic situation in the country.”
The Acting Minister, further stated current state leadership appealed to all armed groups to embrace peace and address their political grievances through dialogue and encouraged hold-out groups to consider the Presidential Amnesty declared in 2017 as an opportunity for peaceful resolution of conflicts, urging those willing to dialogue to contact either the National Government, the State Government, or local government authorities.
He stated that however, since the conflict began in April 2025, it has caused a serious humanitarian crisis, displacing approximately 23,000 civilians in Morobo County along.
Since last Friday’s attack on the health facility in Morobo, Minister Aligo stated that Governor Mojung Emmanuel convened an emergency meeting with key stakeholders and appealed to the National Government, specifically the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and other humanitarian assistance partners, for immediate intervention to aid the people of Morobo displaced by the on-going conflict.
In the meeting, which was chaired by the CES Governor, present was also the commissioner of Morobo County Data Charles Bullen, who described the security as normal while briefing state officials during the meeting.
The Commissioner of Morobo County also briefed the leadership on the latest situation. Despite the recent attack, the Commissioner reported that the security situation has since returned to normalcy.