In Jonglei State, South Sudan, a government military offensive has resulted in widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, markets, and homes. Local residents and international organizations allege that the destruction was deliberate.
In Lankien, doctors evacuated patients just hours before a bomb struck the empty hospital on February 3, leaving a crater in its warehouse. The town was later hit by mortar fire, forcing residents to flee into surrounding marshlands.
Emmerson Gono, deputy head of mission for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who visited Lankien in April, said: “Anything that can support the life of human beings was deliberately destroyed.” He reported that the hospital had been looted and burned, vaccine cold-chain units set on fire, and solar water systems dismantled.
Satellite imagery analyzed by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) documented 23 incidents between late January and February where civilian structures were burned and looted. Researcher Kiria Borak stated that the destruction was “likely to be more widespread and potentially part of a deliberate military strategy.”
Residents told Al Jazeera that opposition fighters were not present when their villages were attacked. The government has not responded to specific allegations but has previously stated that military operations are conducted in self-defense and civilians are not deliberately targeted.
Violence escalated after the arrest of opposition leader and First Vice President Riek Machar in 2025. Machar and President Salva Kiir were on opposing sides of the 2013-2018 civil war that killed hundreds of thousands before a fragile peace deal.
At least 28 health facilities in Jonglei have been damaged or looted this year, with 70% no longer functioning, according to the UN. More than 70,000 people are facing the highest level of hunger, with a risk of famine in multiple counties.
Nicholas Kerandi of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization said the impacts on food security and public health “are likely to persist through the remainder of the year and potentially beyond.” Human rights advocate Ter Manyang Gatwech warned: “Unless there is a miracle, South Sudan will disintegrate.”
Source: www.aljazeera.com