Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Wednesday it was suspending its operations in Central Equatorial State, South Sudan, after one of its staff members was abducted.
The evacuation convoy, moving personnel from Morobo County to Yei River County amid rising insecurity, was intercepted by armed gunmen who singled out and kidnapped the team leader before allowing the other vehicles to continue, MSF said.
“As this was clearly a targeted attack on humanitarian workers, we have no choice but to suspend our activities in Yei River and Morobo counties until security conditions improve,” said MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan.
This marks the second time in three months that MSF has scaled back its Central Equatorial operations. The charity has previously reported multiple incidents of violence against aid workers and medical facilities in Morobo, including arson, looting and damage to infrastructure.
South Sudan, mired in intercommunal violence and banditry, has seen a sharp rise in attacks on humanitarian organisations, hampering efforts to deliver critical health services to vulnerable communities.