South Sudan: Civilians Shot in Malakal

Matthias Steinbach

Following a shooting incident directed at the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, Upper Nile State, on July 1, 2015, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) received nine wounded patients, women and the elderly among them, at its hospital in the PoC. The humanitarian situation in the state has been steadily deteriorating over the last few weeks, leaving the civilian population constantly exposed to episodes of violence. The numbers of wounded and displaced, along with rates of malnutrition and the risk of outbreaks, all continue to rise.

One of the patients received by MSF after the shooting was badly wounded and died shortly after being brought to the MSF facility. Three patients in critical condition were stabilized and referred for further treatment, and five continue to receive treatment. All of the patients treated by MSF are internally displaced people, some of the more than 30,000 who are currently seeking shelter from the South Sudan conflict in the Malakal UN compound where the PoC is located.

Since the onset of the conflict in December 2013, civilians, including patients, and medical staff have often come under attack in South Sudan. MSF condemns in the strongest terms possible the shooting at the PoC site and calls on all parties to the conflict to respect civilians, medical staff, and patients.

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MSF is one of the largest medical and humanitarian aid providers in South Sudan, with more than 3,100 staff working across the country, as well as projects serving South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Sudan. At present, MSF operates projects in six of South Sudan's ten states, including Unity, Upper Nile, and Jonglei states, where the conflict has taken a particularly heavy toll on the population.

South Sudan, Malakal, Base of the Un (PoC). Medical staff of MSF at work in the clinic inside the UN compound. MSf is treating patients with Kala Azar, TB and malnourished children in their clinic.Also war injuries of the outside conflict in Malakal are treated here. The pictures shows the cliic form outside the UN compound
Matthias Steinbach