Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced Tuesday that it was compelled to close its hospital in Ulang, South Sudan, following a violent looting incident in April.
The attack left the facility “completely destroyed” and unable to function, with armed individuals storming the hospital, threatening staff, and looting $150,000 worth of medicine.
This closure leaves the remote and conflict-ridden county without a major health facility.
MSF’s head of mission, Zakaria Mwatia, stated that “the extensive losses from the looting have left us without the necessary resources to continue operations.”
This difficult decision also means MSF has withdrawn support from 13 primary health facilities, leaving the area without secondary healthcare, the nearest facility being over 200 kilometers away.
South Sudan has experienced renewed conflict in recent months after a power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar collapsed.
In May, another MSF hospital in Old Fangak was bombed, destroying its pharmacy and medical supplies, an incident that followed army threats to attack the region.
South Sudan has faced persistent instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011.