The medical charity Médecins Sans-Frontières (MSF) on Thursday said it has fully resumed medical services in South Sudan’s Ulang County, after a temporary suspension.
According to a press statement extended to Radio Tamazuj, the MSF team returned to Ulang and restarted all medical activities, reaffirming the organization’s commitment to providing essential care to the local population.
“This followed the partial evacuation of staff and suspension of most activities due to a serious security threat from a local individual,” the statement read in part.
During the suspension, which began on 15 August, only essential lifesaving services were maintained.
According to sources on the ground in Ulang County, MSF pulled out after terminating the services of two local employees, one of who rejected being fired and threatened the organization’s staff. The county commissioner later intervened and arrested the person.
“After assurances of safety and protection of MSF staff and facility from the authorities and the community and closely monitoring the situation for the past days, in collaboration with the authorities of Ulang County, we have decided to restore our activities to full operational capacity,” said Zakaria Mwatia, Head of Mission for MSF in South Sudan. “Patients and humanitarian workers must never be targeted. We once again urge for protection of patients, healthcare workers, and medical facilities.”
MSF runs a secondary healthcare hospital in Ulang and provides decentralized care at 12 locations in Ulang County.