South Sudan

Malakal

South Sudan

Population
160,765
Currency
SSP£5,058/$

Malakal was a city in South Sudan. Largely destroyed during fighting between 2011-2015, relatively little remains other than looted and vandalised ruins, very limited infrastructure and a 45,000 person strong United Nations refugee camp northeast of the former city.

Guide content adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Malakal". Source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Weather

Live

32°C

Partly cloudy · feels like 32°C

  • 42%
  • 20 km/h
  • AQI 28
  • SunLight drizzle25° / 36°
  • MonThunderstorm25° / 35°
  • TueSlight rain showers24° / 33°
  • WedDense drizzle24° / 32°
  • ThuThunderstorm with slight hail24° / 32°

Measured at 9.533, 31.660 · Africa/Juba

Malakal map

Understand

Understand

editedit source

Long South Sudan's second largest city, Malakal was destroyed by years of civil war after the 2011 split between Sudan and South Sudan. What remains of the city is under the control of government forces (the SPLA) as of 2016. Hospitals and much of the key infrastructure have been destroyed.

As of 2016, little remains other than ashes and wreckage; whatever hasn't been razed by the fighting has been destroyed by looting and vandalism. The ruined town itself is likely not safe to visit without a UN or military escort.[1]

Getting there

  • 1 Malakal Airport (MAK  IATA). In 2011, it was South Sudan's second international airport with flights from Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines) and Khartoum (Sudan Airways); a domestic route from Juba was often booked full (early reservations were advised). Later, the airport became inaccessible for long periods due to fighting. As of 2016, the airfield is functional and reachable by United Nations charter flights and military supply planes.

Barges traversed the White Nile; a primary means of transportation, the boats took passengers from Maloot with travel time varying from six to 24 hours.

Pre-conflict, the roads in South Sudan ranged from bad to non-existent; during the rainy season, all roads to Malakal became unusable for ordinary vehicles. A few slow efforts at repair were being made, especially on the road towards the Ethiopian border. The situation has since worsened post-conflict; little usable infrastructure exists.

Getting around

Get around

editedit source

What to see

What to do

Where to eat

Drinking & nightlife

Shopping

Where to stay

Staying safe

See the warning on the South Sudan article for information on the security situation.

All guide text on this page is adapted from Wikivoyage and reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Prices and opening hours change — verify anything that matters before you rely on it.

More in South Sudan