Unknown gunmen attack MSF clinic in South Sudan’s Pibor
Juba, 14 July 2017 (JUBA) – Unidentified gunmen carried out an armed robbery on a clinic of the medical humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the capital of Boma state Pibor, South Sudan, on Thursday, 13 July.
According to a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Friday, the attack took place during the early morning of Thursday at around 1:30 a.m when six to ten armed men broke into the facility and injured two staff members after threatening other team members with guns.
The raiders stole office equipment, including phones and computers.
MSF “strongly condemns the incident, which resulted in injuries to two team members and forced the organisation to relocate some staff,” said the group.
It further called on “all armed actors” to observe international humanitarian laws that protect civilians, aid workers, medical facilities and provide that such attacks constitute a war crime.
Last February 2016 the MSF clinic in Pibor was looted and five people had been killed during clashes in Pibor town between the South Sudanese army (SPLA) and forces loyal to the former administrator of the area, David Yau Yau.
“MSF teams are shocked by these repeated security incidents, which strongly impede our ability to deliver urgently needed health care,” the medical charity group said.
Also, following the violent nature of the attack, MSF decided to partially withdraw its teams to reassess the security situation in Pibor. It is the group providing much needed specialised health care services such as basic surgery in the area of Pibor.
“This event forced us to evacuate part of our team and reduce our activities at a time when people are in desperate need of healthcare,” said Fernando Galvan, deputy head of mission for MSF in South Sudan.
The Pibor clinic is a 37-bed medical facility where the group manages the outpatient department, the inpatient ward, the maternity ward and the laboratory. On a monthly basis, MSF provides over 6,300 outpatient consultations in Pibor.
(ST)