Violence Against Health Care Surges in South Sudan as 31 Incidents Recorded in 2025
Credit: UN News
South Sudan recorded a sharp rise in violence against health care in 2025, with 31 incidents reported across the country, according to a new report by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) and Insecurity Insight.
The report, Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025, shows a significant increase from seven incidents in 2024 and 13 in 2023. The attacks resulted in the deaths of five health workers, the kidnapping of four others, damage or destruction of five health facilities, and the looting of medical supplies on seven occasions.
According to the report, violence against health care spread to ten states in 2025, six more than the previous year, with notable increases in Jonglei and Western Equatoria. Most incidents were attributed to unidentified armed men, although some involved the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the SPLM/A-IO.
One of the most serious incidents occurred in May when helicopters suspected to belong to the SSPDF bombed an NGO-supported hospital in Jonglei State—the only hospital serving more than 110,000 people in the county. The attack destroyed the hospital’s pharmacy, injured two health workers and a patient, and forced humanitarian agencies to evacuate staff and relocate patients.
The report also documents attacks on health workers responding to disease outbreaks. In Jonglei, a police officer escorting a cholera response team was shot dead by unidentified attackers, disrupting emergency health operations.
Health facilities continued to face looting and destruction. In Warrap State, armed youths attacked a hospital, stole medical supplies and killed two security guards. In Upper Nile State, an NGO-run hospital suspended operations after armed men stormed the facility, threatened staff and looted essential medicines, eventually leading to the permanent closure of the hospital and the withdrawal of support from 13 primary health care centres.
The report notes that worsening insecurity coincided with severe humanitarian challenges. Around 9.3 million people required humanitarian assistance in 2025, while flooding, cholera outbreaks, food insecurity and the arrival of people fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan placed additional pressure on the country’s fragile health system.
Funding shortages further weakened health services after major reductions in international assistance, including the suspension of USAID funding for international organizations. At least ten medical facilities reportedly closed because of medicine shortages.
The coalition warned that continued attacks on health workers and facilities are undermining access to lifesaving services, particularly for vulnerable communities already affected by conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks.
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition called for greater protection of health workers, respect for international humanitarian law and accountability for those responsible for attacks on health care, warning that continued violence threatens to deepen South Sudan’s humanitarian and public health crisis.
