South Sudan: Government forces bombarded MSF hospital in Lankien, Jonglei state

Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF’s) hospital in Lankien, Jonglei state, South Sudan, was hit in an airstrike by the government of South Sudan forces during the night of Tuesday, 3 February 2026. One MSF staff member suffered minor injuries. 

The hospital’s main warehouse was destroyed during the attack, and we lost most of our critical supplies for providing medical care. In a separate incident, MSF’s health facility in Pieri, also located in Jonglei, was looted in the afternoon of the same day by unknown assailants. Our colleagues from Lankien and Pieri had to flee with the community, and their fate and whereabouts are still unknown, as we are trying to establish communication with them.

Lankien hospital was evacuated and patients were discharged hours before the attack, following increased tensions and after MSF received information about a possible attack against the city.

“MSF shared the GPS coordinates of all our facilities with the government and other parties to the conflict before, and we received the confirmation that they are aware of our locations,” says Gul Badshah, MSF operations manager. “The government of South Sudan armed forces are the only armed party with the capacity to perform aerial attacks in the country," adds Badshah. "On the other hand, MSF’s healthcare centre in Pieri was looted hours before the bombardment of Lankien hospital, making it unusable for the local community."

MSF was the only health provider serving about 250,000 people in Lankien and Pieri. Attacks against MSF facilities in these locations mean that local communities will be left without any healthcare.

"Given the current context, we will make the necessary decisions to protect the safety of our staff and healthcare facilities in South Sudan,” adds Badshah. “While we are aware of the enormous needs in the country, we find it unacceptable to be a target for attacks. MSF has been present for 43 years in what is today South Sudan, and we have treated millions of patients during this period, in different states and regions of the country."

This bombardment followed the restrictions on humanitarian access that the government of South Sudan has imposed exclusively in parts of opposition-held areas of Jonglei state, since December. These restrictions limit MSF’s ability to deliver essential medical assistance to communities, which can have particularly dangerous consequences for children, pregnant women, and people living with chronic or life-threatening conditions.

In 2025, MSF experienced eight targeted attacks, forcing the closure of two hospitals in Greater Upper Nile and the suspension of general healthcare activities in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria.