Medical charity slams ambush on its staff in South Sudan

JUBA, Aug. 31 — International medical charity Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) on Wednesday denounced attack on its staff in South Sudan
which resulted in injuries of two staff members, a loss of medical
equipment and assets.

MSF said the ambush on Aug. 24 outside the town of Pibor forced the
suspension of some of MSF’s medical programs in the area. “We simply cannot
turn a blind eye to incidents like these or start believing that they are
in anyway normal, despite the alarming frequency with which they have
occurred,” Marie Cleret, MSF Head of Mission said in a statement issued in
Juba.The convoy, consisting of an MSF vehicle, a tractor and a team of four
staff members, was en route to conduct a medical assessment in a nearby
village when it was ambushed by a group of armed men speaking the local
language. The medical charity said two members of the team were beaten,
leaving them with minor injuries. “The team’s personal affairs were stolen,
alongside MSF property, including the team’s vehicle. The team was then
left temporarily stranded, but was able to return to MSF’s facility in
Pibor later the same evening,” it said.

MSF, which is the only humanitarian organization providing healthcare in
Pibor, Lekongole and Gumuruk, said the latest attack represents yet another
serious risk to its ability to safely provide medical care in Pibor.
“People are heavily reliant on the assistance we provide for their
survival, and are already incredibly vulnerable due to the ongoing
conflict,” Cleret said. Following the incident, MSF said it had no choice
but to suspend part of its outreach activity in Pibor, due to the
increasing insecurity of traveling by road. This is the third attack on
MSF’s medical facilities in Pibor in the past nine months which has forced
MSF to suspend the provision of much-needed medical care.

The attack comes just days after the charity called for the need to protect
civilians and respect their access to medical care in South Sudan. Over the
past 18 months, 24 MSF facilities and assets have been attacked in the
country. “MSF again calls on all armed actors to protect civilians and
refrain from targeting medical facilities, which deprives people of a vital
lifeline when they absolutely need it most,” said Cleret. “This incident
puts the local population even further out of the reach of lifesaving
medical care.” According to the UN, over 80 aid workers have been killed in
South Sudan since the beginning of the December 2013 crisis, including at
least 12 killed in 2017, and at least eight humanitarian convoys have been
attacked already this year.Under International Humanitarian Law,
intentional attacks against humanitarian relief personnel may constitute
war crimes. – XINHUA