South Sudan army reiterated restoring all parts of the strategic city of Malakal, the capital of the oil-rich Upper Nile state, from opposition forces of Former South Sudan vice president Riek Machar.

Military Spokesman Philip Aguer said the government has encumbered the rebels heavy losses, reported Sky News on Tuesday.

The town, already in ruins after repeatedly swapping hands since South Sudan's civil war broke out in December 2013.

South Sudanese government forces launched a major assault on rebel-held areas in the north in late April, in what has been described as one of the heaviest offensives in the 17-month long civil war.