Health facilities run by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) were damaged and closed in South Sudan, according to the United Nations World Health Organization.

Facilities in the towns of Pibor, Lekuangole and Gumruk were damaged, closed, and subsequently looted during inter-ethnic clashes in the area in recent weeks.

MSF says it is rehabilitating the facilities in order to resume medical activities, and more than one ton of supplies, including drugs and logistics materials, have been airlifted to Pibor town.

As of January 10, 60 of the 155 locally hired MSF staff in Pibor county remain unaccounted for.

Deadly clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle communities in Jonglei in recent weeks have displaced tens of thousands of people and prompted UN agencies and partner organizations to launch a major humanitarian operation to assist those affected.