A senior official in South Sudan’s ruling party on Thursday downplayed the potential closure of donor-funded rural hospitals, suggesting that local communities could rely on traditional medicine as they had in the past.
The remarks by Dr. Akol Paul Kordit, secretary-general of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), come as the world’s youngest nation grapples with a crumbling healthcare system and a sharp withdrawal of international aid.
Speaking at a three-day SPLM party conference in Juba, Kordit recounted a conversation on Wednesday with an unnamed international figure regarding concerns over the cessation of foreign funding for health facilities in the country.
“I was meeting somebody very important yesterday, from these big international persons, and we shared a concern that they are no longer paying for our health system in our hospitals, and our hospitals will be closing in the villages. And I responded by saying, let the hospitals close,” Kordit said.
He cited his own recovery from malaria in the late 1990s using “bitter tree roots” in a village near Maridi, Western Equatoria State.
“The closure of the hospital itself is an achievement to us because we never had hospitals before,” Kordit added, arguing that South Sudanese communities are historically resilient without formal medical infrastructure.
South Sudan’s Ministry of Health announced earlier this year it would withdraw support from more than 100 health facilities due to a shortfall in donor-backed programs. The move means services in dozens of clinics and hospitals — many located in remote areas where government-funded services are virtually non-existent — will be reduced or discontinued entirely.
Health experts warn that the reduction in healthcare services will likely worsen maternal and child health outcomes in a country that already suffers from one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.
While the national budget consistently underfunds healthcare, it is common for senior government officials to travel abroad for specialized medical treatment.
The SPLM meeting, opened by Vice President Dr. James Wani Igga, was intended to project unity ahead of anticipated national elections in December this year.
While Kordit did not name the international figure he spoke with, he met Wednesday with Norwegian Ambassador Roar Haugsdal at the SPLM national secretariat.
During his address, Kordit also issued a rare apology for the suffering caused by the civil war that erupted in 2013, characterizing the conflict as a “power struggle” within the party leadership rather than a fight for reform.
“The 2013 war broke out within the SPLM leadership. It was a power struggle war,” he said, rejecting claims by opposition figures that the conflict was driven by reform agendas.
He said the ruling party takes responsibility for the suffering caused during the conflict and apologized to the South Sudanese people.
Kordit urged an end to violence and called for dialogue to resolve political disputes, saying the SPLM’s priority is to restore peace and stability as the country prepares for general elections.
“A political party is like a shop,” he said. “If you present good products, people will come. If the products are expired, the customers will go elsewhere.”
Akol emphasized the importance of dialogue among South Sudanese citizens and political leaders, saying the country will endure and its flag will remain hoisted, as it is at the United Nations headquarters.
He added that while it is normal to face setbacks, resilience in overcoming challenges is what matters. “South Sudan will definitely overcome its current challenges,” Akol said, urging unity and continued commitment to peace and dialogue.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but has faced repeated political and economic crises, including a civil war that erupted in 2013 and severely weakened the country’s institutions and public services.