Suspected opposition soldiers attacked a hospital in Morobo County, Central Equatoria State, burning two ambulances and looting medical supplies, local officials said Saturday.
The assault on Morobo County Hospital, which is supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF), occurred Friday evening.
Morobo County lies about 120 miles (190 km) southwest of the capital, Juba.
Charles Data, the county commissioner, blamed forces from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), a group linked to detained First Vice President Riek Machar.
Data told Radio Tamazuj that the attackers raided staff quarters, stealing computers, phones, money and documents before breaking into the hospital’s drug storage.
“They took all the medicines supplied to us, including microscopes and other equipment,” he said. “Then they set fire to the two ambulances.”
The vehicles were critical for transporting patients to the nearby city of Yei, often making multiple trips daily.
“People are devastated,” Data said. “If rebels can attack a hospital like this, no one is safe.”
He urged state and national authorities to intervene and called on aid groups to continue supporting the hospital, which now faces a severe shortage of medicines.
“This is not just Morobo’s problem—it’s a national crisis,” he said.
Attempts to reach SPLA-IO representatives for comment were unsuccessful.
Edmund Yakani, a civil society activist and executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), condemned the attack.
“This is an unacceptable act and constitutes an attack on the protection of civilians and an unarmed facility,” Yakani said. “Turning civilian facilities into weapons of war is a crime and a human rights violation.”
He called for investigations by the ceasefire monitoring body (CTSAMVM) and the U.N. Human Rights Commission in South Sudan, urging accountability for those responsible.
In May, a hospital operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Old Fangak, Jonglei State, was also bombed by SSPDF planes.
Friday’s aattack on the Morobo County Hospital follows recent clashes between government forces (SSPDF) and SPLA-IO fighters in Morobo and Yei counties, which have displaced civilians and caused casualties.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has struggled with instability since gaining independence in 2011. The violence, which escalated between the main parties to the 2018 peace agreement in early March, has raised fears of a return to large-scale conflict amid rising political tensions.