Reports from South Sudan indicate that former vice president, Riek Machar’s rebel forces have now taken the Upper Nile capital, Malakal.

Machar's armies have now taken another town, Malakal in the Upper Nile

 Machar’s armies have now taken another town, Malakal in the Upper Nile

Sources say that fighting lasted for over seven hours yesterday in the Upper Nile capital and surroundings between government forces and the rebels. Malakal is one other big oil rich state in South Sudan.

In a statement, SPLA chief of the General Staff, James Hoth Mai, said that Malakal was witnessing heavy fighting.

“We have problems in (the) Upper Nile (where) there is still fighting– we don’t know what is happening, we are going also to fix (this),” Mai added.

Mai also confirmed that the city was taken in the evening. Meanwhile, the Malakal governor, Simon Kun Puoch, reportedly fled to a UNMISS compound.