South Sudan Rejects Claims of UAE Field Hospital Supporting Sudanese Factions
South Sudan has defended a United Arab Emirates-funded field hospital near the Sudanese border, rejecting allegations that it could aid one of Sudan’s warring factions.
Deputy Foreign Minister Akuei Bona Malwal stated the Madhol Field Hospital in Aweil East County is intended solely for humanitarian purposes. “It was not meant to support or advance foreign interest against another,” he told reporters in Juba.
The 100-bed hospital, inaugurated on March 10, 2025, was constructed to provide medical care for 2.4 million people, including refugees and returnees affected by the Sudan conflict. The facility lies about 64 km south of Sudan, in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal State.
Allegations suggested that the UAE might use the hospital as a base to supply weapons to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. Both South Sudan and the UAE have denied any military role.
The Sudanese war, ongoing since April 2023, has strained regional security and disrupted South Sudan’s oil exports to the Red Sea. Malwal stressed that peace in Sudan is crucial for the region: “War is never the solution. Stability benefits both security and economic relations,” he said.
South Sudan continues to mediate the Sudan conflict, with President Salva Kiir hosting talks between Sudanese political factions, though progress has been limited so far.
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