Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has resumed limited medical operations in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State, more than three months after suspending activities over worsening insecurity, the medical charity said on Thursday.
MSF halted work in Yei and neighbouring Morobo County on Aug. 5 following a series of security incidents, including the abduction of an MSF staff member and a separate incident involving a Ministry of Health worker seized from an MSF ambulance.
The organisation said its return would be gradual and confined to Yei Payam due to persistent insecurity along key routes, including Yei–Morobo, Yei–Lasu and Yei–Maridi roads. Outreach activities in rural areas and direct support in Morobo County will remain suspended for now.
“Providing much-needed care to mothers needing a safe delivery, children with malaria, and people fleeing violence has always been our motivation,” said Dr. Ferdinand Atte, MSF’s country coordinator in South Sudan. “As we begin this phased resumption, we are changing how we work to keep our staff safe, but our commitment remains the same — to provide neutral and impartial care to communities in need.”
The redesigned project will focus on emergency and maternal healthcare at Yei Civil Hospital, including upgrades to the maternity ward and operating theatre to enable caesarean sections and other life-saving surgeries. MSF will also continue supporting Jansuk Clinic, which serves the largest number of patients in the county.
In addition, MSF will expand support for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence through community-based initiatives and the one-stop centre at Yei Hospital.
“To mitigate the risks that led to our earlier suspension, the outreach component will remain suspended, meaning no direct support to remote primary healthcare centres or the Boma Health Initiative for now,” Atte said. “While we regret the impact on communities far from Yei town, we cannot compromise staff safety.”
Yei County remains one of South Sudan’s most insecure areas, with frequent clashes displacing thousands. The growing influx of internally displaced people into Yei town has further strained limited health services.
MSF said it was in talks with authorities and community leaders to ensure a safe environment for staff and called on all parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety of medical and humanitarian workers.
Before suspending operations in August, MSF supported four Ministry of Health facilities, offering outpatient consultations, vaccinations, maternal and child healthcare, mental health support, and mobile clinics for displaced people. Between January and August 2025, MSF teams in Yei and Morobo conducted about 39,500 outpatient consultations, treated more than 25,000 malaria patients, provided 4,338 antenatal consultations, assisted 438 births, and supplied over 1.5 million litres of water to local communities.