MSF marks 40 years of services in South Sudan

International charity Médecines Sans Frontières (MSF) also known as Doctors without Borders on Wednesday marked 40 years of service in South Sudan.

Sigrid Lamberg, Head of Mission for MSF in South Sudan said the youngest nation is in urgent need of critical donor funding and assistance amid worsening humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan.

“The need for humanitarian assistance in South Sudan is as critical as ever. Strategic cross sector coordination and tangible investment is needed across sectors, with humanitarians continuing to respond to needs but equally partners providing long term, sustained and stable investment,” said Lamberg during the ceremony held in Juba to mark 40 years of it’s existence.

South Sudan is already home to two million internally displaced persons, but the ongoing conflict in Sudan has forced more than 350,000 returnees including refugees to cross into South Sudan.

Mamman Mustafa, the MSF Head of Mission in South Sudan said they commenced operation in 1983 with provision of emergency medical care to the host communities and refugees.

Mohammad Ibrahim, the Head of Mission for MSF in South Sudan said they respond to health care emergencies and disease outbreaks affecting isolated communities and internally displaced people.

“Since the beginning, MSF has remained committed to its mission of delivering impartial and independent medical care to those in need, regardless of their background or circumstances,” said Ibrahim.

He said MSF’s presence in South Sudan, a country marked by conflict and complex healthcare challenges has been a beacon of hope for countless individuals and communities.

Over the past four decades, MSF has been on the frontlines of humanitarian aid, delivering life-saving medical assistance to those affected by conflict, disease, and displacement in the world’s youngest nation.