South Sudan: Médecins Sans Frontières responds to latest wave of violence in Jonglei State

Before the conflict, a child is examined by a Médecins Sans Frontières doctor in Pibor, South Sudan. © Liang Zi.

13th January 2012 – Juba. Following inter-communal violence on 11th January in northern Jonglei State, South Sudan, the medical humanitarian aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières referred by air thirteen patients with serious wounds from the organisation’s clinic in Yuai, Jonglei State. The patients were taken to Médecins Sans Frontières’ hospital in Nasir, Upper Nile State, where they are receiving urgent surgical treatment. Five adult women and two adult men had gunshot wounds and the remaining six patients were children under five, with beatings or gunshot wounds.

“We are very concerned that the majority of the wounded in this latest wave of violence are women and children,” said Médecins Sans Frontières Head of Mission for South Sudan, Jose Hulsenbek. “These 13 patients have survived the night, but some of the children are still in critical condition with severe trauma to the head” she said.

Médecins Sans Frontières supports a small outreach clinic in Yuai, northern Jonglei State, about two hours outside of Wek, Uror County, where the latest violence took place. Médecins Sans Frontières is continuing to monitor the situation and if further severely wounded people continue to arrive at Yuai clinic, they will be referred to the Médecins Sans Frontières-run hospital with surgical facilities in Nasir, Upper Nile State.

This latest round of inter-communal violence follows an attack in Pibor County in late December 2011/early January 2012, where the Médecins Sans Frontières-run hospital in Pibor town was looted and ransacked.  Médecins Sans Frontières emergency teams resumed medical activities in Pibor town on Sunday January 8th.

Médecins Sans Frontières has demonstrated its complete impartiality and neutrality over the years, working in many different communities in South Sudan.  In 2011, three Médecins Sans Frontières medical facilities were targeted in Jonglei State. We condemn the targeting of medical facilities by any armed group. Médecins Sans Frontières commits to continuing to bring humanitarian aid and medical assistance to the population of Jonglei State.