NAIROBI, May 19: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned Tuesday that aid in South Sudan was being "instrumentalised" for military and political objectives, despite the country's dire humanitarian needs.
After gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan descended into civil war and remains mired in extreme poverty, corruption and insecurity.
Government troops under President Salva Kiir have again been clashing with militias allied to his longtime rival Riek Machar over the past 18 months, with conflict reported in 73 of 79 counties, according to the ACLED monitoring group.
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Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, warned of a "concerning trend" to block humanitarian and civilian access to contested or opposition-controlled areas and said all sides were using aid for "military and political objectives".
In a report, it said the government had prevented MSF from accessing Akobo town, a hotspot of recent fighting in Jonglei state, where the charity supported one of the few hospitals.
It condemned targeted attacks on other MSF facilities around the country between January 2025 and April 2026, saying an estimated 762,000 people had lost access to healthcare as a result.
MSF's warning comes as some global partners withdraw due to humanitarian cuts and others become increasingly outspoken about the country's dire governance.
Nick Checker, a senior US State Department official for Africa, said recently that the government had issued "insincere promises of reform" to elicit donor funds, "while simultaneously obstructing the delivery of lifesaving assistance".
The US embassy said in April the crisis was worsening despite billions of dollars in oil revenue and foreign assistance, while the United Nations says roughly two-thirds of the population faces acute hunger.
