South Sudan: Madhol Field Hospital Is Humanitarian, Not Military, Says Government
South Sudan on Tuesday dismissed claims that a UAE-funded field hospital near the Sudanese border is part of a foreign agenda in Sudan’s ongoing war.
Deputy Foreign Minister Akuei Bona Malwal emphasized that the Madhol Field Hospital is strictly humanitarian. “The truth is that the field hospital is there to serve the people… It was not meant to support or advance foreign interest against another,” he told reporters in Juba.
The hospital, inaugurated on March 10 in Aweil East County, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal, is located about 64 km south of the Sudanese border. Built between November and December 2023, the 100-bed facility provides medical care for nearly 2.4 million people, including local residents, refugees, and returnees fleeing the Sudan conflict.
Some media reports alleged that the hospital could serve as a logistics hub to supply weapons to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a claim denied by both Juba and the UAE.
The Sudan war, which erupted in April 2023, has disrupted regional stability and affected South Sudan’s oil exports via pipelines through Sudan. South Sudan has also attempted to mediate the conflict, with President Salva Kiir hosting talks between Sudanese political groups.
Malwal reaffirmed South Sudan’s commitment to peace: “A stable and peaceful Sudan has positive impacts on our relations,” he said, warning that war only worsens regional suffering.
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