NAIROBI: Medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned Tuesday that aid in South Sudan was being “instrumentalized” 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.
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.
