A team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Thursday visited Ulang County in Upper Nile State, marking the first visit of any international humanitarian organization in the area in months.
MSF said in a press release that the visit was aimed at assessing the medical needs of the local communities and to deliver essential medical supplies to nine primary healthcare facilities across Ulang County.
Access to the region remains extremely limited due to insecurity and logistical challenges.
“This is the first humanitarian visit to Ulang since our hospital was looted and destroyed in April,” said Zakaria Mwatia, MSF’s Head of Mission in South Sudan.
“Despite the serious constraints, our teams are making an effort to reach affected communities and support where possible,” he added.
Ulang County is one of the areas hardest hit by the recent conflict between government forces and armed opposition groups. MSF had been running a secondary care hospital in the area since 2017 but had to shut it down following violent looting and destruction in April.
During the Thursday visit, MSF teams also reassessed the damage to the hospital and offices, reconfirming that the scale of destruction was too severe for the facility to be functional anymore.
“We remain committed to supporting the people of Upper Nile, including Ulang and Nasir counties and to providing medical assistance whenever access allows,” said Mwatia.
“The needs are immense following the fighting, displacement, and recurrent disease outbreaks, but access remains a major barrier.”
According to a report by the United Nations, violence against civilians in South Sudan escalated in the first quarter of this year, resulting 739 killed and 679 injured.
MSF has reiterated its call for all parties to the conflict to facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access so that organizations can assess the needs and deliver vital services.
Despite the closure of the Ulang hospital, the medical agency has expressed its continued commitment to responding to urgent and emergency needs along the Sobat corridor.
“Our visit to Ulang and the delivery of supplies to nine health facilities is a step towards accessing the area along the Sobat corridor and reaching affected communities,” said Mwatia.
“We hope access will continue to improve. At the same time, we strongly call for the respect and protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and medical infrastructure,” he said.
MSF is exploring the possibility of more regular support visits to health facilities across the region in response to ongoing humanitarian needs.