Wau, South Sudan

Wau was initially established by the French as Fort Desaix[4] and later was established as a zariba (fortified base) by slave-traders in the 19th century. During the time of condominium rule, the city became an administrative center.

Burr and Collins in 1994 described Wau:[5] as follows:

No one has ever been "at home" in Wau. It is surrounded by a host of disorganized and diverse peoples. . . It was and remains a town belonging to no single ethnic group But a civil Dinka chief, deriving its importance only from its position as a commercial and administrative center . . . Located in the midst of the vast Nilotic plain hundreds of miles from nowhere, it was miserable under the best of circumstances . . . And the research reveal that the first people in the were a people tall with smooth dark skin today the Dinka that have inhabited the area back in the early 17s to 18s.

During the Second Sudanese Civil War, it was a garrison town of the Khartoum-based Sudanese Armed Forces, and was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of 1980s, killing several hundred people. And this forced the Dinka wau to seek refugee since the other tribes which they shared the land joined with khartoumn armed forces and only targeted the Dinka which forced them to seek safety in the eastern side of wau. The Dinka were said to have migrated to the state today known as Warrap state.

In 2010 the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment (South Sudan) proposed to reshape the city as a giraffe.[6]

South Sudanese Civil War

Further information: 2014 retreat from Western Bahr el Ghazal and 2016–18 Wau clashes

The refugee camp at Wau town's Catholic cathedral, where around 8,500 IDPs had found shelter during the 2016–18 Wau clashes.[7]

Following the outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War, the town has experienced numerous clashes, massacres, and much destruction at the hands of anti-government as well as government forces. In April 2014, Nuer soldiers belonging to the local SPLA garrison mutinied after hearing of a massacre at Mapel. They clashes with SPLA loyalists, and then fled into the Bush, joining a long march of other deserters to Sudan.[8] About 700 Nuer civilians subsequently sought protection at Wau's UNMISS base; most of them were family members of the deserted soldiers, while others were students.[9]

In 2016, Wau experienced heavy clashes that displaced much of its Fertit population and led to widespread destruction.[10] In April 2017, Dinka soldiers of the SPLA and Mathiang Anyoor militiamen carried out a massacre of non-Dinka civilians in the town, killing up to 50 people,[11][12] and displacing thousands.[13]

The population of Wau is ethnically diverse. Most of the inhabitants are Dinka and Fertit, as the town lies on the tribal boundary between these two peoples.[14] Furthermore, minorities belonging to the Luo, Jur Modo/Jur Beli, Balanda Boor/Balanda Bviri,[15][16] and Nuer peoples can be found in Wau.[17] Due to its diversity, Wau has repeatedly suffered from ethnic violence.[7][15][16]

Wau cattle market, 2008

Wau is a vibrant economic center by the standards of the newly established Republic of South Sudan, and serves as hub for trade between Darfur, Bahr al Ghazal, and Equatoria.[14] The major contributors to the local economy include:

• Buffalo Commercial Bank branch
• Equity Bank (South Sudan)[21] branch
• Ivory Bank branch
• Kenya Commercial Bank (South Sudan) branch[22]
• Catholic University of South Sudan, Wau campus
• University of Bahr El-Ghazal
• Wau Airport
• Wau County Government
• Wau state Government
• RCS - Radio & Satellite Communication
• Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (South Sudan Subsidiary Comp.) expected shortly

Transport and infrastructure

St Mary Cathedral in Wau

• Wau Railway Station - is the terminus of a narrow gauge branch line of the Sudan Railways. A plan exists, as of 2008, to open a standard gauge line north from Gulu in Uganda to Wau. Through trains from Khartoum to Mombasa would be possible only if one of the lines was regauged. Its functionality would depend on post-conflict reconstruction.
• Wau Airport - The airport, (IATA: WUU, ICAO: HSWW) has a single paved runway which measures 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) in length.
• The city hosts University of Bahr El-Ghazal and many secondary and primary schools.
• The Catholic University of South Sudan maintains a campus in the city.[23]
• Wau Stadium - A soccer stadium in the middle of town
• The Cathedral of St. Mary in Wau was built between 1951 and 1956.
• There are five (5) main roads out of town:
  • B38-North leads directly north to Gogrial, South Sudan
  • B43-South leads southeast to Tonj, South Sudan
  • A44-South leads directly south to Tumbura, South Sudan
  • B41-West leads west to Raga, South Sudan
  • B43-North leads northwest to Aweil, South Sudan
• Southern National Park - Located about 100 kilometres (62 mi), by road, south of Wau along A44-South

Wau has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). The city has two seasons: a dry season from November to March, and a rainy season the rest of the year, as depicted in the referenced box below:

Some of the notable people from Wau include

• Luol Deng - NBA basketball player
• Longar Yak Jiel - National basketball player
• Khamis Leyano - South Sudanese footballer and captain
• Longar Longar - former University of Oklahoma basketball player and NBA D-League player
• Thon Maker – NBA basketball player
• Clement Mboro - veteran politician
• Cardinal Gabriel Zubeir Wako - Retired archbishop of Khartoum archdiocese (Sudan, then including South Sudan)
• Prof Barri Arkanjelo Wanji - veteran Anya Anya /SPLM/A soldier and long serving politician
• Dan Samuel - National Basketball player and veteran construction manager
• Alek Wek - World model
• Joseph Ukel - veteran politician

• Bahr el Ghazal
• Wau Airport
• Western Bahr el Ghazal

• PSI South Sudan; Western Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of Health; Wau County Health Department; Western Bahr el Ghazal Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (2014). Pre-Harvest Anthropometric and Mortality Survey. Wau County, Western Bahr El Ghazal, South Sudan (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Population Services International.
• The Conflict in Northern and Western Bahrel Ghazal States (PDF). Geneva: Small Arms Survey. 16 October 2014.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Wau.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wau.

• Location of Wau At Google Maps
• GCatholic, with Google satellite photo/map - Wau's Roman Catholic cathedral of Mary
• Human Rights Watch (1999) Famine in Sudan, 1998: The Human Rights Causes.
• Detailed Map of The City of Wau
• Photos of Wau River Lodge, A Private Establishment