MSF SOUTH SUDAN: Statement on Staff in Lankien and Pieri, Jonglei State

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 the hospital compound 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 of its staff, but has 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 very 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, 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. 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 vulnerable and underserved communities of essential medical care.

STAFF TESTIMONY: When Caregivers Become Victims: MSF Staff Affected by Violence in Jonglei, South Sudan

For Albert*, an MSF nurse in Lankien, the destruction of MSF’s hospital on the night of 3 February 2026 was not only the loss of his workplace. It was the loss of his home and the sudden separation from his family.

“They bombed exactly at 9PM. I was not in the compound that day; we were ordered to move away from the compound. The following morning, I ran for my safety once I heard the shooting.”

Large parts of the MSF hospital in Lankien were damaged during the bombardment and later burned down, including warehouses, fuel stores, and critical support structures. Medicines, vaccines and blood supplies were destroyed or looted. As the violence intensified in the days that followed, health workers fled alongside Lankien residents.

“I am separated totally from my family, my wife and my children. I do not know where they are. I do not know if they are still alive or not.”

On the Tuesday of the airstrike, Albert had already followed instructions to evacuate amid rising tensions and warnings of a possible attack on the town. As the bombardment intensified, his house was burned and his belongings looted. He fled into the forest carrying only a small bag containing fortified peanut paste, biscuits, and his documents.

He walked for five days through remote areas, avoiding armed men, before reaching safety. “I ate the peanut paste and biscuits on the way. It was the only survival meal I had.”

Albert is now temporarily staying with a friend in Juba.

“I find myself a little bit okay, although emotionally I am totally distressed, because I do not know where my kids are.”

Albert’s experience reflects that of many health workers who were forced to flee, lost their homes, and remain uncertain about the safety of their loved ones. Beyond the destruction of medical infrastructure, the violence has deeply affected the very people who were providing care.

Despite his own trauma, Albert continues to think about his patients.

“My top priority is to pray hard for that vulnerable population. Wounded children will be sent away from Lankien [without receiving care] because of the crisis.”

“There is always a way out. In every situation, there is a way out.”

Albert is among many MSF colleagues who have been confirmed to have reached safety. However, out of 291 locally recruited staff working in Lankien and Pieri, MSF has lost contact with 27 others and remains extremely concerned about their well-being.

Since the beginning of 2025, MSF has documented a sharp increase in attacks on healthcare facilities in South Sudan. By February 2026, MSF had recorded 10 targeted attacks on our hospitals or staff. Such attacks violate international humanitarian law, endanger medical workers, and deprive communities of essential and life-saving care.

MSF has worked in the area now known as South Sudan since 1983, and continues to provide medical assistance across multiple states and administrative areas of the country.

*Name changed to protect anonymity