A bombing attack on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital and pharmacy in South Sudan over the weekend was a deliberate act and could constitute a war crime, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan stated on Tuesday.
MSF reported that at least seven people were killed and 20 others wounded in Fangak county when a bomb struck the pharmacy, causing a fire that destroyed it and damaged the hospital. The attack was followed by another drone strike on Old Fangak, a town in the Greater Upper Nile region.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which follows a series of airstrikes and heavy clashes between national forces and an ethnic militia, reportedly allied with First Vice President Riek Machar.
Yasmin Sooka, chair of the U.N. Commission, condemned the assault, calling it “a calculated, unlawful attack on a protected medical facility.”
She added, “The bombing of the MSF hospital in Old Fangak is a clear violation of international humanitarian law and may amount to a war crime. Attacks on medical facilities are forbidden under the Geneva Conventions and undermine the very foundation of humanitarian efforts aimed at protecting civilians in conflict zones.”
South Sudan’s Information Minister, Michael Makuei, did not respond to requests for comment.
While South Sudan has been officially at peace since a 2018 agreement ended a five-year civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing Machar, Machar’s house arrest in March, following accusations of attempting to incite a rebellion, has raised concerns that the conflict could flare up again.
