An 80-bed hospital run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Lankien, South Sudan, has been destroyed by a bomb dropped from a government plane, followed by a ground invasion that left the town deserted. The Guardian visited the site in late April, witnessing the devastation first-hand.
The hospital, which served around 250,000 people and was the only secondary healthcare centre in the region, was bombed on 3 February. MSF had evacuated patients and staff earlier that day after receiving reports of imminent military operations. The bombing destroyed the medical store, and a subsequent ground assault on 7 February forced the town's 20,000 residents to flee into the bush.
The facility, which had operated for more than three decades, provided maternal and paediatric services, treatment for chronic diseases, severe malnutrition and malaria, and care for survivors of sexual violence. Now it lies in ruins: burnt, roofless, and looted. Medical supplies, documents, and equipment are strewn across the premises, and three of five MSF vehicles were stolen.
Local MSF employee John described the day of the attack as 'a day of shock'. He said discharging 48 patients, including 26 with gunshot wounds, was very tough. The UN estimates that over 304,000 people in Jonglei have been displaced since December 2025 due to fighting between government forces and opposition groups.
Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, noted that both sides have shown 'near total disregard for civilian protection', with civilians bearing the brunt of indiscriminate attacks. The MSF team described the destruction as arson, saying people intentionally set the hospital on fire.
