Malakal, South Sudan

Malakal
Malakal Marketplace Aug 2005
Malakal Location in South Sudan
Coordinates: 09°33′00″N 31°39′00″E / 9.55000°N 31.65000°E / 9.55000; 31.65000
Country	South Sudan
State	Eastern Nile State
County	Malakal County
Elevation	385 m (1,263 ft)
Population (2014 est)
• Total	147,450

Malakal is a city in South Sudan and second largest city after the country's capital Juba.

The city of Malakal is located in Malakal County, Eastern Nile State, in the northeast of South Sudan, close to the International borders with the Republic of Sudan and with Ethiopia. The town is located on the banks of the White Nile, just north of its confluence with the Sobat River.

This location lies approximately 650 kilometres (400 mi), by road, directly north of Juba, the capital of South Sudan and the largest city in that county.

Malakal is the capital of Upper Nile State, South Sudan . It also serves as the headquarters of Malakal County, in which it is located.

During the Second Sudanese Civil War, the town was a garrison town of the Khartoum-based Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Following South Sudan's independence on 9 July 2011, the troops from the Republic of Sudan have retreated from Malakal. Malakal was the site of the November 2006 Battle of Malakal.

Beginning in 2013, Malakal has been the site of numerous battles between government SPLA forces and the Nuer White Army, loosely commanded by the SPLM-IO which is headed by Riek Machar. The city has been overrun on various occasions by both sides. As of October 2015, Malakal had exchanged hands twelve times during the civil war, and was utterly destroyed in the process.