South Sudan: Who Burned Houses and Destroyed a Hospital in Jonglei?

Juba, South Sudan – In the days before the town of Lankien was attacked, doctors at the local hospital urgently evacuated patients, including women in labor and those wounded by gunfire. On the evening of February 3, just hours after the last patient was moved, a bomb hit the empty facility, blasting a crater into a stockpile of medicines.

Fighting raged in the vicinity as South Sudan's army launched a counteroffensive to retake territory held by armed opposition groups. As troops pushed east through Jonglei state, they captured towns one by one, driving opposition forces toward the Ethiopian border.

After the bombing, residents said they were forced to flee into swamps in the early hours of February 7 when mortar shells struck the town. Some returned to witness widespread devastation: the hospital looted and burned, the vaccine cold storage incinerated, vehicles shot up and stripped of parts, the solar water system dismantled, the local market reduced to twisted sheets of metal, and suburban homes torched.

“Everything that could sustain human life was deliberately destroyed,” remarked Emmerson Gono, deputy head of mission for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), who visited Lankien in April.

Counteroffensive across Jonglei

Since the start of the “Sustainable Peace” operation, satellite imagery analysis by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR), combined with videos, photos, and witness accounts, shows widespread destruction in Jonglei, long a base for opposition groups. Both the army and opposition forces have been accused of burning villages and attacking civilians in recent months. More than a dozen residents told Al Jazeera they believe the army is responsible for deliberate destruction, pushing tens of thousands to the brink of famine.

Of the 23 incidents CIR recorded from late January through February, most civilian structures—including homes, health facilities, and markets—were set ablaze and looted. CIR said the destruction may be more extensive and part of a deliberate military strategy. Researcher Kiria Borak of CIR stressed that satellite imagery cannot determine intent or responsibility. Some officials and aid workers attribute the destruction to clashes between government and opposition forces, but residents say opposition fighters were not present when their villages were attacked. These accounts could not be independently verified due to restricted access. Government officials did not respond to requests for comment on specific allegations; in previous statements, they insisted military operations were carried out in self-defense and did not target civilians.

Political context

Violence escalated since early 2025, when opposition leader First Vice President Riek Machar was arrested on coup allegations, which he denies. Machar and President Salva Kiir were former rivals in the 2013–2018 civil war that killed hundreds of thousands before a peace deal brought them into a fragile unity government. Implementation stalled due to delays in integrating armed forces into the national army and repeated election postponements. After Machar's arrest, the government launched airstrikes to quell rural uprisings. Machar's political group declared the peace deal dead and began hit-and-run attacks on military positions. From December to January, opposition fighters, backed by local armed youth, seized several military posts in Jonglei, prompting the government to declare a counteroffensive on January 28. Then-army chief of staff Paul Nang ordered national army troops, intelligence units, police, and allied militias to retake opposition-held territory. Analysts say the involvement of allied militias operating alongside regular units complicates determining command responsibility.

Burned homes

Five people who fled Lankien told Al Jazeera they witnessed the events on February 7. They said pro-government forces arrived on the outskirts after fighting in a nearby village. Around midday, mortar shells hit the town, followed by ground troops in armored vehicles. Gai Ket, 32, was chopping wood when he heard explosions and rushed home to find his wife and children. “The first thing I saw was smoke. SSPDF are burning houses,” he said, referring to the national army. At his home, he found his wife dead with severe chest wounds; bodies lay scattered in the neighborhood. Another resident, Puoch Duol, returned at night to find his grandmother, too weak to flee, dead among the rubble. Satellite imagery reviewed by CIR showed significant destruction in Lankien between February 7 and 9. On February 7, the army declared it had secured the town. MSF said government forces controlled Lankien in the days after the attack but did not assign responsibility for the destruction. MSF noted the government is the only party capable of airstrikes. Government-appointed officials said opposition forces looted the town as they retreated, but opposition representatives denied this, saying their forces were not present. Both claims remain unverified.

Pattern of destruction

Residents described a similar pattern of destruction across towns and villages from the Nile River to the Ethiopian border. Men in military uniforms arrived in armored vehicles, often after opposition forces were reported to have withdrawn. Homes and markets were burned; health facilities and humanitarian areas were looted. Civilians hid in swamps and forests; those too weak to flee were killed or went missing. CIR geolocated footage from Pathai showing gunmen moving between burning buildings. Aid worker Jany in Walgak described the February 5 attack: “We saw smoke everywhere. They fired guns and burned houses.” Satellite imagery showed major structural damage in Walgak between February 3 and 7. Many villages near Walgak were burned or destroyed, but independent verification remains impossible. Remote sensing data shows active fire clusters across the region, but satellite imagery cannot determine cause or responsibility.

Command and discipline

Early in the military campaign, commanders' statements raised concerns about civilian safety. A viral video shows Deputy Chief of Staff Johnson Olony, also commander of the Agwelek armed group, telling soldiers not to spare lives or property. The government later said these remarks did not reflect official policy and Olony apologized. In another video, commander Wal Nyak appears to threaten violence against opposition supporters: “Whether a woman or a girl, we will kill all… We do not want Riek Machar supporters here.” Full verification and context of the footage could not be independently confirmed.

Humanitarian impact

Aid organizations say the aftermath of the destruction is severe and may last months or longer. At least 28 health facilities in Jonglei were damaged or looted this year, according to the UN. Seventy percent are no longer operational. The UN's IPC analysis warns of famine risk in several counties, with over 70,000 people facing the highest levels of hunger. Nicholas Kerandi of FAO said the impact on food security and public health “could last until the end of the year and possibly beyond.” Others argue the alleged abuses in Jonglei have pushed an already fractured South Sudan to the breaking point. “Tribes do not trust each other, people do not trust the government, the government does not trust the people,” Ter Manyang Gatwech, a human rights activist from Jonglei, told Al Jazeera. “Unless there is a miracle, South Sudan will fall apart.”