NAIROBI – A distressing situation unfolds as over 25 members of Doctors Without Borders are still missing a month after violent incidents erupted in South Sudan, as reported by the organization.

The attacks targeted two of the charity’s facilities, operating under the French name Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). These assaults occurred on February 3 in Jonglei State, situated northeast of Juba, the nation’s capital. The region has been grappling with unrest, leading to the displacement of approximately 280,000 individuals since December.

According to MSF, a hospital located in Lankien was struck by government forces, while an additional healthcare center in Pieri suffered a raid from “unknown assailants.” Both locations are in territories controlled by opposition forces.

In light of these attacks, staff members from the facilities, along with many local residents, were forced to flee into remote regions. Here, they are caught in the crossfire of ongoing armed conflicts and aerial attacks.

On Monday, MSF released a statement expressing concern over the fate of “26 out of 291 of our colleagues working in Lankien and Pieri, who remain unaccounted for.”

The statement highlighted the challenge of maintaining communication due to the persistent insecurity in the area.

The lack of communication with its staff could be linked to the limited network connectivity in much of the state. Staff members who had been contacted described “destruction, violence and extreme hardships.”

Fighting escalated sharply in December, when opposition forces captured a string of government outposts in north central Jonglei. In January, the government responded with a counteroffensive that recaptured most of the area it had lost.

Displaced people in Akobo, an opposition-held town near the Ethiopian border, described horrific violence by government fighters. Many described not being able to find food or water as they walked for days to reach safety.

The attacks on MSF facilities in Lankien and Pieri are part of an uptick in violence on humanitarian staff, supplies and infrastructure, aid groups say. MSF facilities have been attacked 10 times in the last 12 months.

“This violence has taken an unbearable toll not only on health care services, but on the very people who kept them running,” said Yashovardhan, MSF head of mission in South Sudan, who only uses one name.

“Medical workers must never be targets,” he said. “We are deeply concerned about what has happened to our colleagues and the communities we serve.”