The medical aid charity Doctors Without Borders / Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) says it is planning to relocate some of its staff in South Sudan’s capital Juba to safer places.
Several offices of the organization are in Juba to support operations in field clinics in Bentiu, Malakal and elsewhere. However, MSF has not been working in Juba itself and has not yet been involved in treating wounded people from the fighting these past few days, according to a spokesperson.
“MSF has only its coordination teams in Juba, we are not currently operational in the city so have not treated the wounded,” said Sophie, a communications officer for MSF in South Sudan, in an email Sunday.
But she added in a follow-up message Monday that MSF is planning to start treating people in Juba.
“Unfortunately, the current situation forces us to plan to relocate some of our Juba staff to safer places where they can continue to work. Despite having to limit the number of people we have in the capital, we are still looking at every possible opportunity to provide medical humanitarian assistance to people in Juba,” said Sophie.
MSF also said that is deeply concerned by the recent upsurge in violence in Juba, pointing out that it is putting the lives of thousands of people at risk, “trapping them in an active warzone, under heavy fire, without access to food, water or medical care.”
The statement on Monday came before guns fell silent later that night and Tuesday morning.
“MSF is extremely frustrated that the violence has reached such a level that we are currently unable to provide people in Juba with the assistance that they are likely to urgently need,” the statement added.
File photo: Camille Lepage/MSF