In Summary
–The hospital is the only one in Fangak county, which has a population of more than 110,000 people, MSF said, and all its medical supplies were destroyed.
-The charity called the attack, which left 20 people injured, a “clear violation of international humanitarian law”.
South Sudan (Prime Africa) — At least seven civilians have been killed and 20 others injured following airstrikes on a hospital and market in Jonglei state’s Old Fangak town, according to international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The attack has raised alarms over South Sudan’s deteriorating security situation and growing fears of a return to full-scale civil war.
MSF reported that a helicopter gunship bombed the pharmacy of the only hospital in Fangak County, which serves over 110,000 people, and then fired on the town for more than 30 minutes. Shortly afterward, a drone strike hit the town’s local market, causing additional casualties.
The assault destroyed all medical supplies and reduced the hospital pharmacy to ashes. MSF condemned the attack as a “clear violation of international humanitarian law,” emphasizing that the hospital was clearly marked with the organization’s emblem and that its coordinates had been shared with all armed groups in the region.
“The hospital is clearly marked as ‘hospital’ with our logo,” said MSF spokesperson Mamman Mustapha in an interview with the BBC. “We have shared also our coordinates for all the warring parties in the area, so the hospital should be known to both parties as a hospital.”
While MSF has not confirmed the perpetrators, local witnesses reported the use of government helicopters. South Sudanese authorities have not yet issued a formal response, and the BBC says it has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
The strike came hours after South Sudan’s army chief, General Paul Majok Nang, vowed retaliatory measures following the hijacking of several river barges, which he blamed on a militia linked to Vice-President Riek Machar. Machar, who was detained in March along with several close allies, has yet to respond to the accusations.
The escalation has raised fresh concerns among international observers. Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), warned recently that the country is “teetering on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war.”
The government has reportedly designated certain counties as “hostile,” implying suspected allegiance to Machar’s camp. This move has further inflamed ethnic tensions, reviving memories of the country’s brutal 2013–2018 civil war, which resulted in an estimated 400,000 deaths and displaced over 2.5 million people.
South Sudan has been plagued by instability since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. The initial optimism quickly faded when President Salva Kiir dismissed Machar as vice-president in 2013, triggering a war largely drawn along ethnic lines. A 2018 peace deal brought the two rivals back into a unity government, but key provisions—such as national elections and the integration of militias into a single army—have not been fulfilled.
The latest violence was reportedly sparked by a clash earlier this year between the South Sudanese army and the White Army, a militia formerly aligned with Machar, in Upper Nile state. The group overran a military base in Nasir, intensifying fears of renewed conflict.
As the political and security situation rapidly deteriorates, humanitarian agencies warn that continued attacks on health facilities and civilian infrastructure will have catastrophic consequences for vulnerable populations already facing dire conditions.
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