Aid Workers Missing in South Sudan After Air Strikes Target Hospital

Fri Feb 06 2026 00:53:08 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Jonglei, South Sudan, was struck by air strikes, leaving aid workers unaccounted for amidst escalating violence.

An air strike in Jonglei state, South Sudan, has resulted in the disappearance of several aid workers from Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The attack, which the organization attributes to government forces, also led to significant destruction of medical facilities crucial to the local community. As fighting intensifies in the area, concerns grow about the humanitarian situation and the fate of those unaccounted for.

An unknown number of aid workers are missing after air strikes hit a hospital in South Sudan, near the Ethiopian border, a charity group says.

The hospital, run by medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Jonglei state, was hit in an air strike by the government of South Sudan forces during the night on Tuesday, MSF said. The South Sudan government is yet to comment.

In a separate attack, MSF said its health facility in Pieri, also in Jonglei state, was on the same day looted by unknown assailants, leaving it unusable for the local community.

Our colleagues had to flee with the community and their fate and whereabouts are still unknown, the medical organisation said.

There has been a resurgence in fighting in Jonglei state recently between government forces and those loyal to First Vice-President Riek Machar, who has been suspended from his post after being accused of plotting to overthrow President Salva Kiir. There are fears that the fighting could re-ignite a full-blown civil war in the world's youngest nation.

Jonglei, one of the most food-insecure parts of the country with severe health needs, has seen an estimated 280,000 people displaced by fighting and aerial bombardments since December, the UN said.

MSF said that ahead of Tuesday's first attack in the Lankien area, it had received information about a possible strike, so the hospital was evacuated and patients were discharged hours before the attack. One staff member was injured, and the hospital's main warehouse was destroyed along with medical supplies, the group said in a statement.

Lankien has been at the centre of renewed fighting in recent weeks between government troops and opposition forces. The hospital's main warehouse was destroyed during the attack, and critical supplies for providing medical care were lost. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but MSF said: The government of South Sudan armed forces are the only armed party with the capacity to perform aerial attacks in the country.

MSF emphasized that it is the only health provider serving around 250,000 people in Lankien and Pieri, warning that attacks on its facilities mean that local communities will be left without any healthcare. The organization has faced targeted attacks in South Sudan, leading to the suspension of healthcare services in multiple states.

As the humanitarian crisis escalates, MSF's operations manager expressed outrage at being a target, stating, While we are aware of the enormous needs in the country, we find it unacceptable to be a target for attacks. The ongoing conflict raises serious concerns for the future of health services in an already crisis-hit region.