New Fangak town 'wiped off the map'
An assessment team from the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) visiting New Fangak earlier this week found that “the town has effectively been wiped off the map and the hospital completely destroyed.”
The town, which is also called Phom El Zeraf, is located in northern Jonglei state and is reachable by boat from the Upper Nile State capital Malakal.
MSF visited the area on Tuesday and “discovered that the town had effectively been destroyed, with trees and homes burnt to the ground and school buildings flattened,” according to a press release. “The hospital, one of the main health facilities in the northern part of the state, had been demolished.”
Radio Tamazuj previously reported that the area, a stronghold of SPLM-IO, was attacked by government forces in November 2014. The rebel group then admitted losing control of the area, announcing, “[President] Kiir's tribal army entered Phom al Zeraf and deliberately burned all down all the structures.” SPLM-IO later claimed to have recaptured the area.
However, MSF for its part did not say when the town was destroyed or by whom. But MSF stressed that the destruction of the hospital at Phom El Zeraf greatly impacts people in the area who have few alternatives for medical care.
Photos of New Fangak courtesy of MSF
Relates:
SPLA-IO claim recapture of Phom El Zeraf (12 Dec.)