MSF evacuates staff from rebel-held Akobo as insecurity creates ‘deplorable’ conditions

JUBA — Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has evacuated critical staff from a facility in South Sudan’s volatile Jonglei State, citing a deteriorating security situation and instructions from authorities, the organisation said.

The withdrawal from Akobo County marks the latest setback for humanitarian operations in the remote region, where aid agencies face rising risks from armed groups and inter-communal violence.

“MSF was forced to evacuate its critical staff members… on 24 January,” the group said in a statement, adding that its activities in the area have been reduced to a minimum.

“MSF finds this decision deplorable, given the scale of needs in the region amidst the ongoing conflict,” it added.

The evacuation follows a similar pullout of MSF staff from Lankien, also in Jonglei, raising concerns that healthcare access is shrinking for tens of thousands of people displaced by fighting and seasonal flooding.

Opposition authorities in Akobo were not immediately available for comment.

Jonglei has seen renewed instability linked to clashes between government forces and the opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).

Earlier this month, a group of Western embassies—including the United States, Britain, and Germany—condemned what they described as an order by a senior opposition commander to seize vehicles belonging to humanitarian organisations.

Diplomats warned that confiscating assets would constitute a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian principles.”

The SPLA-IO initially denied issuing such an order, dismissing a handwritten directive circulating online as a forgery. However, opposition officials later acknowledged a “communication error” regarding the seizure of three NGO vehicles in Walgak and promised to return the assets.

The hostile environment has already impacted funding. The U.S. Embassy in Juba recently announced a halt to assistance in neighboring Ayod County, citing “continued abuse” of relief work.

Local officials in Ayod have since apologized and appealed for the suspension to be reconsidered.

Roughly 80% of South Sudan’s population relies on international aid, according to the United Nations, making the safety of relief workers critical to the country’s survival.