Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has suspended all activities in Yei River and Morobo counties, South Sudan, following the abduction of an MSF staff member on 5 August 2025. The incident occurred amid worsening insecurity, just four days after a Ministry of Health staffer was abducted from an MSF ambulance on the same road. The MSF team leader was briefly held but released within hours.

The abduction took place during an MSF convoy evacuation from Morobo to Yei, where armed assailants detained the team leader while letting other vehicles continue. This attack follows a series of violent incidents targeting healthcare workers and facilities in the region, including abductions, arson, looting, and infrastructure damage in recent months.

Dr. Ferdinand Atte, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan, condemned these deliberate attacks on humanitarian workers, calling on authorities and armed groups to ensure safe access and protection for medical staff and patients. He stressed that MSF cannot operate in unsafe conditions and warned that local communities reliant on these services were the most affected by the suspension. (Press Release)