South Sudan Conflict: 26 humanitarian workers missing, says MSF

Twenty-six humanitarian workers are missing after renewed fighting in Jonglei state forced the suspension of medical services for about 250,000 people, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said.

The organization, also known as MSF, said the missing staff were among 291 employees working in the towns of Lankien and Pieri when clashes intensified in northern Jonglei.

Many health workers evacuated the hospital facilities following warnings of a possible attack and are now sheltering in remote areas with their families, facing limited access to food, water and other basic services.

MSF said insecurity has halted all medical operations in Lankien and Pieri, leaving an estimated 250,000 people without access to health care.

The charity told *Eye Radio* that staff who fled are scattered in isolated locations where humanitarian access remains difficult. It said emergency support has begun in areas where security conditions allow.

“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,” said Yashovardhan, MSF head of mission in South Sudan.

He added: “This violence has taken an unbearable toll not only on health care services but on the very people who kept them running. Medical workers must never be targets.”

MSF did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the 26 workers but said efforts are ongoing to establish their whereabouts.

The violence follows intensified clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition in northern Jonglei since December.

Tensions escalated in 2025, exposing divisions within the transitional unity government formed under the 2018 peace agreement. Clashes were first reported in January in Western Equatoria state before spreading north to Jonglei.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition is led by Oyet Nathaniel, deputy chair of the SPLM-IO political movement.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011 but descended into civil war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed then Vice President Riek Machar, accusing him of plotting a coup.

Although a 2018 peace deal led to the formation of a transitional government, political tensions and sporadic violence have persisted.

Machar, who serves as first vice president under the agreement, has been under house arrest since last March and faces charges including murder, treason and crimes against humanity.

Humanitarian agencies warn that continued clashes risk worsening an already fragile humanitarian situation in Jonglei, where the suspension of medical services has left hundreds of thousands without critical care.

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