Latest Yei bombing damages NPA hospital

Several buildings of a hospital run by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in Yei were extensively damaged on Wednesday evening during an hour-long bombing raid by a Sudanese government war plane, an NPA worker told IRIN today. The attack on SPLA-held Yei, located some 160 km southwest of Juba, damaged the hospital’s theatre, maternity wing, pharmacy, laboratory and doctors’ offices, NPA’s Chat Paul said. “Thirty-four bombs were dropped. Two fell directly at the hospital. Nobody was killed or injured because they hid in the bunkers,” Paul said. The attack came about a week after a similar bombing incident in the town, NPA said. “Yei is very strategic and the government has interests in it,” Paul said, adding that it was a connection point to both the DRC and Uganda. The frequent bombing raids on Yei have demoralised humanitarian workers and the local population, and some residents have fled to the bush or crossed into Uganda, he said. The NPA hospital receives about 200-300 patients a day, according to Paul.