JUBA, Aug. 5 — International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said Tuesday that it has suspended all operations in Yei River and Morobo counties in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria State for six weeks due to rising insecurity and the abduction of its staff.
The charity said that one of its staff members was abducted on July 29 during the evacuation of its staff from Morobo to Yei amid deteriorating security conditions.
Gunmen stopped a four-vehicle convoy, ordering the MSF staff member, who was serving as the convoy’s team leader, out of the vehicle and dragging him into the bush, while allowing the other vehicles and staff to proceed to Yei.
MSF said the abducted staff member was released four hours later.
Edi Ferdinand Atte, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan, disclosed that within three months, multiple incidents of violence targeting aid workers and healthcare facilities had been reported in Morobo, including forced abductions, arson, violent looting of hospitals, and damage to medical infrastructure.
Seven of these incidents involved the abduction of aid workers. The charity said it was forced to reduce its activities in May due to escalating insecurity in the area.
Meanwhile, it has also suspended all operations in camps for internally displaced persons because of ongoing violence in Morobo County.
“Today, MSF has had to make the difficult decision to suspend all activities in both counties until further notice. This adds to the growing number of projects and health facilities we have been forced to close this year due to attacks,” MSF added. (Xinhua)
