SPLA has recaptured the capital of Upper Nile, Malakal, after fierce fighting on Friday. Dozens of houses of civilians in the southern part of Malakal were destroyed killing several families, correspondents in the town confirm.

Yesterday the army drove defectors from the army barracks and into residential areas in the southern part of town. By nightfall parts of the town remained contested.

SPLA resumed their offensive today beginning at 11:00, pursuing defected elements of the army and organized forces. The last pockets of resistance were eliminated by 16:00.

A reporter for Radio Tamazuj explained that tanks were used in the assault against defected units in the southern part of the town. “Some of them tried to flee to the UN compound, but an SPLA tank started to shoot at them. They were either killed or they rushed out of Malakal,” he said.

The reporter also witnessed a house in Lokwee that was hit by a tank round: “Inside the house a family of four were killed. The neighbor explained how they were caught in a crossfire that continued for two hours.”

Another home visited by the reporter in Hai Matar was completely destroyed with three dead bodies lying inside. In Asosa several houses made in the local fashion were wrecked completely.

The South Sudanese Red Cross started to collect bodies: “There will be many, many.” During clashes yesterday they were unable to bring the dead from the streets.

There is likewise no clear estimate of the number of wounded, but there are already more than 70 war-wounded who reached the Malakal State Hospital, according to an MSF official. The medical organization was unable to assist them on Tuesday or Wednesday because fighting cut them off from the hospital.

Malakal has been the scene of four days of heavy fighting. The SPLA troops stationed there were reinforced from the 1^st, 6^th and 7^th divisions in order to defend and retake the city.

UNOCHA reported Thursday that some 12,000 people were sheltering in the UN peacekeeping base in the city. Several civilians inside the base were injured by stray bullets during clashes. There are also reports that people staying at the town’s way station were killed or injured in the fighting.

During the fighting, water tankers were unable to move in the city to supply the civilian population, causing a shortage of water. Yesterday a source said that many people who had not made it to the UN base resorted to drinking directly from the river.

Humanitarian agencies are prioritizing health, water and sanitation for people staying inside the UN base, to be followed by distributions of food and household items. WFP has pre-positioned food inside the base, and distribution is expected in the coming days.

Related coverage:

Crisis deepens in Malakal as fighting goes street to street (26 Dec.)

South Sudan: Fighting continues inside Malakal and near Bor (25 Dec.) 

SPLA fight to regain control of Malakal, civilians flood into UN compound (24 Dec.)

Governor acknowledges clashes in different areas of Upper Nile (23 Dec.)