Insecurity: MSF suspends operation outside Yei
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended all its activities outside Yei due to the increasing insecurity in the southwestern part of Central Equatoria State.
This came after its vehicle was attacked on February 28, 2022 by unidentified armed men.
MSF operational coordinator Sandra Lamarque said the incident has prompted the organisation to immediately suspend its movements to support health facilities outside of Yei.
Sandra regretted saying this would undermine access to urgently needed medical care for tens of thousands of people.
“We are deeply shocked by this unacceptable attack on the provision of neutral and impartial humanitarian assistance for communities in need of medical assistance.”
“As a result of the attack, our outreach movements to communities surrounding Yei have been suspended until appropriate security conditions can be re-established which would permit us to safely continue our life-saving work,” Sandra said.
According to MSF, the incident happened on Wednesday, at around 9:15 am when seven staff who were wearing MSF identification and travelling in two marked MSF vehicles were attacked.
The team was travelling to Minyori on the Yei-Maridi road to provide treatment for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea which are three of the leading causes of infant mortality in South Sudan.
However, before the medical team could reach Minyori, the team was stopped by a large group of armed men and they were forced at gunpoint to disembark from their vehicles and were taken into the bush, where a group of civilians was also being held by the armed group.
The team was threatened and robbed of both MSF property and personal belongings. Following the incident, the team was released without physical injury, but the two MSF Land cruisers had been set ablaze, completely destroying the vehicles and forcing the team to evacuate to safety on foot, according to a document obtained by The City Review
After the incident, the team was released without physical injury.
“Medicines destined to support community healthcare workers in the provision of medical care were also stolen from the vehicles.”
Sandra called on all armed actors to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and for them to respect the provision of humanitarian assistance.
MSF is an independent, neutral and impartial humanitarian organization, which has been working in South Sudan for more than 40 years.
