South Sudan defends UAE-funded hospital near Sudan border.
South Sudan on Tuesday defended a new field hospital funded by the United Arab Emirates, dismissing media reports and allegations that the facility is part of a foreign agenda to influence the civil war in neighbouring Sudan.
Deputy Foreign Minister Akuei Bona Malwal stated that the hospital’s purpose was strictly humanitarian, amidst claims it could serve as a channel for covert support to one of the factions in Sudan’s conflict.
“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,” Malwal told reporters in Juba.
The facility in question, the Madhol Field Hospital, was inaugurated on March 10 by officials from South Sudan and the UAE in Aweil East County, Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State. It is located approximately 64 kilometres (40 miles) south of the Sudanese border. According to the South Sudanese government, the 100-bed hospital was constructed between November and December 2023 to provide care for nearly 2.4 million people, including local communities and thousands of refugees and returnees fleeing the war in Sudan.
The allegations, which Juba denies, suggest the hospital could be used as a logistics hub by the UAE to supply weapons to Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The UAE has also denied providing military support to any of Sudan’s warring factions.
The conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has strained regional relations and disrupted the flow of South Sudan’s crude oil exports, which rely on a pipeline running through Sudan to the Red Sea.
South Sudan’s government has attempted to mediate the conflict, with President Salva Kiir hosting talks between Sudanese political groups. These efforts, along with other international mediations, have so far stalled.
Malwal reiterated his country’s commitment to finding a peaceful settlement, arguing that stability in Sudan directly benefits South Sudan’s security and economy.
“War is never the solution. It exacerbates the suffering and prolongs the conflict,” he said. “A stable and peaceful Sudan has positive impacts on our relations.”
(Sudan tribune)