An airstrike has hit a healthcare facility run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, the medical charity has said.
The strike occurred in the town of Pieri on the morning of Wednesday, 3 December. Pieri payam in Uror County is in an area largely controlled by the opposition group SPLA-IO.
In a statement extended to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday evening, MSF said its teams found bullets had struck infrastructure within the clinic in Pieri after an attack by what it described as a gunship helicopter.
Following the Pieri incident, MSF said its staff witnessed further airstrikes in the nearby town of Lankien, where the charity also operates medical facilities. No direct damage was reported in Lankien, Nyirol County.
On Wednesday, Radio Tamazuj reported that the army had carried out aerial bombardments in parts of Ayod, Nyirol and Uror counties on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Simon Hoth Dual, Jonglei State Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement, confirmed reports of explosions in Jonglei but said full details on any casualties or damage were still being gathered.
MSF stated that all its staff in both locations are safe and that there have been no reported casualties linked to the airstrikes. The medical charity emphasised that its facility in Pieri is the sole healthcare provider for vulnerable groups there, and its hospital in Lankien is the only secondary healthcare facility in the region.
This incident follows several attacks on MSF operations in South Sudan in 2025, which forced the closure of hospitals in Old Fangak and Ulang earlier this year.
“The recent airstrike shows a deeply concerning pattern in which healthcare facilities are repeatedly hit or come under fire during persistent attacks,” said Emmerson Gono, MSF Deputy Head of Mission in South Sudan. “We call for immediate protection of medical infrastructure, staff and patients.”
Army Spokesman Maj. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang could not immediately be reached for comment.
MSF operates one of its largest assistance programmes worldwide in South Sudan, responding to health needs arising from ongoing conflict, displacement, natural disasters, and disease outbreaks.
The medical charity notes these challenges are compounded by decreased international funding and the precarious state of the national healthcare system.