Malakal County, Upper Nile State

DEMOGRAPHY

2008 Census population: 126,483

2020 Population projection* 183,476

Ethnic groups and languages: Shilluk/Chollo, Dinka, Nuer, Burun/Mabanese

Displacement Figures: 37,787 IDPs and 7,908 returnees (Q1 2020)

January 2020 IPC Projections: January 2020 – Crisis (Phase 3); February to April 2020 – Emergency (Phase 4); May to July – Emergency (Phase 4)

ECONOMY & LIVELIHOODS

Malakal County is located in Upper Nile State and hosts the state capital in the city of Malakal. It borders Fashoda County to the north-east, Baliet County to the east and Panyikang County to the south-west. It also has a narrow international border with Sudan to the north-west. Malakal town lies along the eastern bank of the White Nile, which flows northwards through the county.

The county is classified as the Northern sorghum and livestock livelihoods zone (FAO 2018). The south of the county is in a low-lying area that consists of savannah grassland, bush and patches of forest. The White Nile River is a key resource for transportation connecting Malakal to Renk and Sudan; Malakal to Juba and Malakal to Nasir and Ethiopia, and also a fishing ground. Livestock rearing is yet another important livelihood activity besides trade, cereal-production and fishery. In both zones, communities in the county are mostly agro-pastoralists. A March 2019 FAO/WFP report estimated that the only 12% of households had farming as their primary livelihood, likely reflecting the larger urban population relative to neighbouring counties. Other livelihoods include rearing livestock, fishing and foraging. The main crops are sorghum and maize, as well as pumpkin, cowpeas, sesame and vegetables. Malakal County is one of the few areas in South Sudan that practices large-scale mechanized farming, although these operations have been curtailed since the outbreak of fighting in 2013. Better-off households keep cattle, goats and sheep. Fishing is seasonal, taking place primarily in the swamps towards the end of the rainy season and into the dry season. Seasonal migration of pastoralists and their cattle throughout the region can be a source of conflict over pastures, access to water, and cattle raiding.

The violence in the region since December 2013, however, has induced large-scale displacement internally and externally, disrupted normal farming cycles, and severely imperiled livelihoods, especially around Malakal town. Additionally, a sustained risk of sexual and gender-based violence when leaving the PoC has impacted the ability of women to collect firewood and access livelihoods.

In 2016, IPC projections placed the county at Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity. In 2020, the county is expected to increase from Crisis (IPC Phase 3) to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity by mid-year. Traditionally, hazards to livelihoods in the area include flooding, drought, livestock disease and crop pests. Long dry spells have lowered crop yields in recent years, however the improvement in the security situation since the signing of the peace agreement in 2018 may provide a more conducive environment for increasing crop yields.

Malakal Town is a major market in the area, as it has has access to external markets across the border with Sudan and Ethiopia and there is a strong cross-border trade.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

Malakal town in Central Malakal Payam is the county HQ, as well as Upper Nile State’s capital. When the number of states was increased in South Sudan, Malakal County was included in Eastern Nile State, however, when the 10-state arrangement was agreed in early 2020, it once again became a part of Upper Nile State.

The fighting in and around Malakal town, following the outbreak of civil war in December 2013, resulted in the destruction of key infrastructure and institutions in Malakal town, including healthcare facilities, churches and mosques. The county is home to Upper Nile University, one of the country’s key public higher education institutions. However, after conflict broke out in 2013, the campus was closed and some operations were relocated to Juba. More recently, the campus is being rebuilt to serve the county as well as the broader region. Malakal Airport was previously the only other international airport in South Sudan other than Juba International Airport. However, international flights were stopped when the civil war broke out in December 2013.

Malakal Teaching Hospital is the key healthcare facility in the county and broader region and is supported by humanitarian organizations. In 2014, the hospital was attacked and looted and a number of civilians were killed. Measles has been a recurrent challenge, with significant outbreaks in 2013 and 2019. Additionally, it was also reported that mental health needs were increasing, and a number of suicides and instances of self-harm were reported in the PoC. Due to livelihoods in the area, the county also has high needs for veterinary infrastructure, which UNMISS has supported through training and services, particularly in preparation for returns to areas outside of the PoC.

According to OCHA’s Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for 2020, there are an estimated 120,000 people with significant humanitarian needs in the county. In particular, Malakal has some of the highest levels of needs in terms of shelter and non-food items, child protection, as well as WASH. When the violence in Malakal town started in December 2013, tens of thousands fled to the nearby UN base leading to the establishment of a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site. This is the site of many humanitarian services and significant tension over recent years. In 2018 and 2019 humanitarian access incidents were documented in Malakal County and further hindered access to key services. As of January 2020, Malakal PoC hosted nearly 28,000 people in 8,520 households (IOM 2020). Malakal distinguishes itself from other PoC sites by its proportionally large ‘commuter’ population that leaves in the morning and returns on the same day (up to 70% of the daily measured flow), hence a small average household size in population tracking activities and a relatively small proportion of new arrivals or permanent exits (3%) (IOM 2018).

CONFLICT DYNAMICS

There is historical evidence that both Shilluk and Dinka have co-existed in the area for centuries with multiple waves of inward and outwards migration, which has complicated claims regarding ‘control’ by both the Shilluk and Dinka. Territorial disputes and conflict between Shilluk and Dinka communities on both sides of the White Nile date back to the Second Sudanese Civil War, with Shilluk commentators claiming that during this period, Dinka communities moved into land on either side of the White Nile that the Shilluk community considers their own. These tensions resulted in violent clashes over land ownership in 2005-06 and 2009, and grievances were exacerbated by the contested creation of the new counties of Canal/Pigi in 2009 and Akoka in 2010.

Malakal town, Upper Nile State’s capital, was the site of significant fighting throughout the civil war, with control of the town switching between the SPLA-IO and SPLA multiple times – between December 2013 and October 2015 it was estimated that the town had changed hands 12 times. In periods of intense fighting, the town was repeatedly deserted as the civilian population fled to the nearby UN base and neighboring counties. By April 2015, however, the SPLA had regained controlled of much of Upper Nile State – including Malakal – while the SPLA-IO maintained a presence in rural areas of south-eastern counties.

Shilluk fighters under the command of Johnson Olonyi were initially the backbone of the SPLA forces on the western bank of the White Nile River in Upper Nile State. However, following the local defeat of the SPLA-IO in 2015, underlying tensions between Upper Nile State’s Shilluk and Ruweng/Panarur Dinka, with support from Padang Dinka communities, re-emerged and escalated. In May 2016, Olonyi defected from the SPLA, formed a Shilluk militia called the Agwelek, attacked and took temporary control of Malakal town, and moved north, before being stopped by the SPLA at Melut.

The PoC site has been a significant source of tension and sensitivity in Malakal County. Its population is drawn from multiple ethnic groups, but has been increasingly made up of Shilluk, Nuer and other IDPs, many of who remain due to insecurity or the fear that leaving Malakal would equate to relinquishing claims to land they had previously owned in the town. In February 2016, Padang Dinka fighters and members of the SPLA attacked the PoC site, resulting in the death of at least 40 civilians and a significant portion of the Nuer area in the camp was razed. Dinka and Darfuri areas were left undamaged. To date, Malakal has experienced minimal returns from the PoC and tensions over land ownership continue.

ADMINISTRATION & LOGISTICS

Payams listed in Government and UN documents: Central Malakal (County HQ), Eastern Malakal, Northern Malakal, Southern Malakal, Lelo, Ogot
Alternative list of payams provided by local actors: Central Malakal (County HQ), Eastern Malakal, Northern Malakal, Southern Malakal, Lelo
Roads:

• A major road runs along the east bank of the White Nile, connecting Malakal town to Paloich and Renk to the north and extending to Bor and Juba to the south. The Logistics Cluster listed this road with a “yellow road warning” in both the rainy and dry seasons. Another main road runs southeast to Nasir and west towards Bentiu through Fashoda and Panyikang Counties. The first portion of this road (to Baliet) was given a “green road open” listing during the dry season and a “yellow road closed” warning during the rainy season. The second portion of the road—onwards towards Nasir, was listed with a “red road closed” warning during both the rainy and dry seasons.
• Another road runs from Malakal across the Sobat into Pigi-Ayod into Bor. Seasonal road conditions are unknown.
• Another road from Malakal across the Nile to Pigi-Nyirol – Uror into Bor. Seasonal road conditions are unknown.

UNHAS-Recognized Heli-Landing Sites and Airstrips: Malakal

REFERENCES

FAO & WFP. (2019). Special Report: FAO/WFP Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to South Sudan. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/ca3643EN/ca3643en.pdf

FEWSNET. (2018). Livelihoods Zone Map and Descriptions for the Republic of South Sudan (Updated).

IOM. (2018). Malakal PoC Displacement Flow Monitoring. 1 September to 30 November 2018. Retreived from: https://displacement.iom.int/system/tdf/reports/20190211%20IOM%20DTM%20SSD_Malakal%20PoC%20DSFM.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=5176

IOM. (2020). Biometric Registration: Malakal PoC. January 2020. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/20200127%20IOM%20DTM%20Biom%20Registration%20Malakal%20PoC%20Jan%202020.pdf

OCHA. (2019). Humanitarian Needs Overview: South Sudan 2020.

REPORTS on MALAKAL

CIVIC. (2016). “Those Who Could Not Run, Died”: Civilian Perspectives on the Conflict in South Sudan. Retrieved from https://civiliansinconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/CIVIC_-_South_Sudan_Civilian_Perspectives.pdf

CIVIC. (2017). A Refuge in Flames: The February 17-18 Violence in Malakal PoC. Retrieved from: https://civiliansinconflict.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ViolenceMalakalPOC_LowResSingle.pdf

Craze, J. (2019). Displaced and Immiserated: The Shilluk of Upper Nile in South Sudan’s Civil War, 2014-19. Retrieved from http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/reports/HSBA-Report-South-Sudan-Shilluk.pdf

DRC. (2017). Congestion in the Malakal Protection of Civilians Site. Retrieved from: https://drc.ngo/media/3339916/malakal-congestion-report-final-pdf-03052017.pdf

FAO/WFP (March 2018) Special Report Page 31. Crop and Food security assessment to South Sudan
http://www.wfp.org/food-security/reports/CFSAM

HSBA. (2011). Fighting for spoils: Armed insurgencies in Greater Upper Nile. Retrieved from: http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/fileadmin/docs/issue-briefs/HSBA-IB-18-Armed-insurgencies-Greater-Upper-Nile.pdf

HSBA. (2016). The Conflict in Upper Nile State. Retrieved from: http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures/south-sudan/conflict-of-2013-14/the-conflict-in-upper-nile.html

IOM. (2018). If We Leave We Are Killed: Lessons Learned from South Sudan’s Protection of Civilian Sites 2013-2016. Retrieved from: https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/if_we_leave_0.pdf

Norfolk, D. (2018). ‘Evolving Political, Economic, and Security Dynamics in Malakal PoC Site and Malakal Town. Retrieved from: No online resource

REACH. (2020). Situation Overview: Upper Nile State, South Sudan January—March 2020. Retrieved from: https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/situation-overview-upper-nile-state-south-sudan-january-march-2020

Small Arms Survey. (2016). The Conflict in Upper Nile State. Retrieved from http://www.smallarmssurveysudan.org/facts-figures/south-sudan/conflict-of-2013-14/the-conflict-in-upper-nile.html