Battle in Wau town in 2009 By 23 June, a larger battle south of the state capital,
Wau town, broke out between SPLA and SPLM-IO, the latter claiming to fight in order to protect the local Fertit people from attacks by the
Dinka-dominated SPLA. A few days later, a document began to circulate on the internet that claimed that Lt. Gen. Mangar Buong Aluenge of the SPLA had plotted from the very beginning to remove and arrest Waya, while the
Society for Threatened Peoples believed that Waya's criticism of the army had led to his arrest. the situation escalated completely, as a heavy battle broke out in Wau town on evening of 24 June. Dinka youth militants in civilian clothing and uniforms entered Wau's south-western neighbourhoods, where they murdered and raped Fertit civilians. According to independent and opposition sources, as army soldiers and Dinka militias intensified their attacks on the town's Fertit population, many locals picked up arms and began to fight the pro-government forces. The SPLM-IO claimed that their forces had stayed out of Wau town, but attacked SPLA soldiers to protect Fertit civilians in the settlement's southern outskirts. and, according to local civilians, together with Dinka tribal fighters once again began to kill, rape and rob the local Fertit civilians. These began to flee en masse to the nearby
UNMISS base and local churches for protection; On 28 June, Wau town was once again attacked by a major force of insurgents, reportedly 350–700 fighters. A least 30 people were killed while attempting to protect the properties of civilians who fled their homes. After the attackers were driven off, the pro-government mayor of Wau town quickly declared that the town was safe again, but most residents refused to return home. One civilian stated that "Up to now, people are not really secure because some of the soldiers are still moving around." Three day later, sporadic, small-scale clashes broke out among SPLA units in Wau town.
Fighting in the countryside where major clashes took place (red) between July 2016 and March 2017. On 12 July, government forces reportedly launched an offensive against SPLM-IO positions in the whole Wau state, most importantly at Angu Angu, Brenji, Faraj Allah, Bazia and Taban. Heavy fighting also took place in the state capital's direct southern vicinity. While both locals as well as local SPLA commanders confirmed the clashes, army spokesman Lul Ruai denied that any military action took place. Whereas the SPLM-IO claimed that they had attempted to evacuate civilians as they had been attacked, Governor Mayan announced on 20 July that he planned to initiate a dialogue with the armed opposition groups that still fought against the SPLA in Wau State. Such peace talks, however, would depend on President Kiir's approval. On 23 July, two SPLA soldiers were executed by a firing squad for the murder of a couple in Wau town. The execution was supposed to serve as warning for SPLA soldiers "who used to violet the military regulation, it is also what tell the people of South Sudan that any soldier found committing crime against civilian should be deal with" said a local judge. On 27 July, the SPLM-IO captured the Ngo Baggari County in Wau State from the government after fierce clashes, with the rebels claiming that they had captured the local County Commissioner, Anthony Fada Taban. There were also speculations that Taban might have defected to the SPLM-IO. Governor Mayan admitted that the SPLA had indeed abandoned Ngo Baggari County to the SPLM-IO, but said that the retreat was voluntary and that no clashes had taken place. Furthermore, he denied that the County Commissioner had been captured. The SPLM-IO's success in Ngo Baggari was explained by the fact that many locals, who were former soldiers, had been mistreated by the government and subsequently joined the rebels. soldiers in 2016. On 3 August, commissioner Taban resurfaced, announcing that he had actually defected to the rebels, citing the abuse of civilians by the government as reason. At the same time, the
OCHA criticized the government's military for hindering humanitarian relief agencies that attempted to enter Wau town. On 6 August, peace talks between the local opposition and the governor were held, though the situation in the state remained volatile, with civilians being displaced or unlawfully arrested by SPLA soldiers. Governor Mayan attempted to ease tensions by negotiating the release of fifty prisoners in October, and including local religious authorities in the peace talks. On the other side, the SPLA prepared a new offensive against the Wau rebels. As of 10 August, the continued fighting had resulted in the
Juba-
Yambio-Wau road becoming too insecure for the transport of goods, leading to food shortages in Wau town. On 21 August, President Kiir finally approved governor Mayan's peace talks with the rebels of Wau State, while the governor also reached an agreement with the
South Sudan Police Service to deploy policemen to Wau town in order to improve the local security. Between 9 and 11 September, clashes once again broke out west of Wau town, as the SPLM-IO claimed that the peace talks had failed, and the government forces had launched a major attack on their positions. The rebels also said that the attack had been repulsed, though this could not be independently confirmed. On 17 September, clashes took place at Bazia and Busseri. Despite the renewed violence, Governor Mayan declared on 19 September that he had formed a committee to hold direct negotiations with the rebels. Just three days later, the SPLA and allied militias launched another attack against SPLM-IO positions, which led to heavy fighting around Wau town, Baggari, Bringi, Busseri, and Bazia that lasted until 25 September. At the same time, President Kiir finally approved the creation of cantonment sites for SPLM-IO forces in the Bahr el Ghazal region after rejecting this move for a long time. These cantonment sites, however, were meant only for SPLM-IO fighters loyal to
Taban Deng Gai, the new
Vice President of South Sudan.
Riek Machar's followers, on the other side, were referred to as "warmongers" that would "be dealt with" by the government. On 17 October, the SPLM-IO and local citizens accused the SPLA of robbing and killing nine civilians in Wau. in December 2016. By December 2016, however, fighting had restarted, with the rebels having taken control of large areas in the western part of Wau State. with the SPLM-IO claiming to have fully captured Busseri. Even though the governor continued to urge the local rebels to join Taban Deng Gai's faction and end their insurgency, his pleas were rejected by the SPLM-IO spokesman for Wau, Nicola Gabriel Adam. Gabriel claimed that Taban Deng Gai had become part of the government they were fighting, while accusing the army of being the aggressor in this conflict, saying that the SPLA had just recently attacked SPLM-IO forces near Bringi. The mayor of Wau, meanwhile, denied that clashes were still happening, saying the people still fled to Wau town due to food shortages in their home areas. in Wau State and government-allied Dinka
pastoralists from
Tonj State escalated, leading to clashes and many deaths over the following months. Nevertheless, violence between Luo farmers in Wau State and Dinkas from Tonj continued in the following months, leading to clashes that left dozens dead and displaced many others. Issa had been loyal to Taban Deng Gai's SPLM-IO faction. When the government consequently arrested four suspects, they declared that Issa had been killed by Machar's followers. Clashes took place directly west of Wau town during the night between 30 and 31 January, when a SPLA patrol encountered a group of rebels by chance. Three government soldiers were killed during the following firefight. On 9 March 2017, a leading SPLM-IO commander in Wau State, General Faiz Ismail Fatur, announced that he was defecting to the
National Salvation Front (NAS), a newly formed rebel group. Ismail blamed his defection on Machar's neglect of the rebels in Western Bahr el Ghazal, and the problems within the SPLM-IO. According to him, the group lacked both a proper vision as well as capable leadership, and suffered from organizational chaos, saying that "the [rebel] army is curtailed by officers without assignments, shamefully, at places, you find a
brigadier leading a squad". Meanwhile, Taban Deng Gai's SPLM-IO faction was granted a minister position in the Wau State government as part of a power-sharing deal. Opposition militants launched a major attack on a government base at Natabu west of Wau town on 24 March 2017. In course of the fighting 12 government soldiers were killed and seven wounded, while the rebels suffered two dead and three wounded.
Government recapture of Baggari and massacre in Wau town . The government began to intensify its
counter-insurgency operations in Wau State in early April, moving more troops, tanks and equipment into the region. On 4 April, the strengthened SPLA forces initiated a large-scale offensive against SPLM-IO positions in the areas around Bisellia, Baggari, Bazia, and Kuajiena, resulting in fierce fighting. The SPLM-IO later accused the South Sudanese Air Force of having used
chemical weapons to bombard them during these clashes. Three days later, the government forces retook Baggari, which had been in the hands of the SPLM-IO for nine months, after heavy fighting with rebel defenders. On the following day, however, the rebels ambushed a government convoy as it returned to Wau town, and killed Brig. Gen.
Peter Par Jiek, Col. Abraham Bol Chut Dhuol (brother of
Matur Chut Dhuol) as well as twelve of their bodyguards. while local sources reported 31 killed and 9 wounded. The SPLM-IO and pro-opposition media claimed that about 50 civilians had been murdered. The SPLM government, the SPLM-IO, all condemned the massacre in Wau town, with the government ordering the perpetrators' arrest. As the situation in Wau State and other areas of Western Bahr el Ghazal escalated, SPLA chief of staff Paul Malong Awan was ordered to take command of the operations in the region around 15 April, Meanwhile, the number of civilians who had sought refuge at the Catholic Cathedral of Wau town increased to 18.000. In June 2017, Wau State's government organized peace talks between representatives of the Luo tribes of Wau and the Dinka tribes of Tonj with the aim of ending the violence between the two groups. Meanwhile, the citizens of Wau town complained that insecurity still prevailed in the state, with government soldiers regularly stealing from civilians.
New tribal conflicts, and famine also affected
Wau State; the UN rated western Wau per the
IPC scale as suffering from an "Acute Food and Livelihood Crisis", while the state's east and north were considered "Borderline Food Insecure". In July and August 2017, Taban Deng Gai's SPLM-IO faction announced that 7,000 rebel fighters in Wau State had defected from Machar's faction to the pro-government forces; this claim could not be independently verified and was denied by the opposition. Fighting in the countryside continued, while ethnic conflicts spread to northern Wau State, where tribal fighters from
Gogrial State destroyed a village. On 3 August, the newly appointed operations commander of the government forces in Wau, Mathok Akec, died of
food poisoning, Meanwhile,
famine spread in Wau State's countryside, leading to starvation and more refugees fleeing to Wau town, whose
IDP population had increased to about 52,000 by July. According to the pro-government commissioner of Bisselia County, Francis Ibrahim, President Kiir had donated 3,400 sacks of
sorghum to the refugees in Wau town, whereas Bisselia's population still had not received any aid by the central authorities by 22 August. The food situation in Bisselia improved in September, as farmers were able to harvest their crops; in other parts of the countryside, however, the famine continued unabated. Around 150 people fled from Bazia to Agok near Wau town due to lack of food in their home areas. Nevertheless, United Nations authorities said that the security had markedly improved in Wau State, citing that around 6,000 IDPs had returned from Wau town to their home areas. Around 32,500 refugees still resided in the PoC camps. Meanwhile, the conflict between tribal fighters from northern Wau, southern Gogrial, and western Tonj continued, as several villages were raided and tribal forces clashed with government soldiers. Wau's governor accused "former state officials" of inciting the tribal militias. On 15 September, President Kiir fired Andrea Mayan Achor and some other officials in Wau State without providing a reason, and subsequently appointed Angelo Taban Biajo as new governor of Wau. In response to the tribal violence in the northern parts of Wau State, the government started an initiative to collect firearms from the civilian population in August, reportedly collecting over 500 weapons by early December. Despite this, armed cattle raids and tribal clashes continued along the border in 2018, with at least 25 people being killed in February and March of that year in the area of Kwarjiena. In a continued attempt to end the insurgency, SPLA Chief of General Staff
James Ajonga Mawut ordered the release of nine POWs who had served as officers for Machar's rebel forces in November 2017, with governor Angelo Taban urging the released officers to encourage active rebel fighters in Wau State to surrender. In December, an important road between Wau and
Tumbura could be reopened due to the improving security situation, while the military reportedly prepared a new offensive against rebel forces in Wau State.
Paul Malong Awan's rebellion, renewed clashes, and ceasefire deal , former
SPLA army chief, reportedly planned an attack on Wau in early 2018 In January 2018, it was discovered that former SPLA Chief of General Staff Paul Malong Awan planned his own rebellion against the government, and had begun to organize an attack of associates on Wau airport. Governor Angelo Taban Biajo subsequently declared that there was no further security risks in Wau. In the following months, several officers of the 5th Division joined the insurgency against the government. One of them, Captain Baak Bol Baak, was an alleged Malong follower and escaped with his troops from Wau to join the
South Sudan Patriotic Army rebels in
Northern Bahr el Ghazal in February 2018. Another,
Stephen Buay Rolnyang, was the former chief commander of the 5th Division and rebelled in
Mayom in May 2018. Major General Keer Kiir Keer was appointed new head of the SPLA's 5th Division. Meanwhile, the security situation in Wau State had improved, so that about 14,000 displaced people returned to their homes between January and June 2018; nevertheless, about 30,000 remained at the refugee camps. Much of western Wau State remained in rebel hands, and the political situation there remained tense; areas like the greater Baggari sub-area were mostly cut off from humanitarian aid and were thus threatened by famine. The Juba-based CTSAMM monitoring group also accused one SPLM-IO group which operated northwest of Wau town of having recruited child soldiers; the SPLM-IO consequently stated that this faction had possibly "gone rogue". In June 2018, fighting reportedly resumed between government and rebel forces, as SPLM-IO rebels claimed that the SPLA had started to attack them at Ngo-Baggari. According to
Human Rights Watch, the SPLA's 5th Division under Maj. Gen. Keer Kiir Keer began an assault on rebel-held areas south and southwest of Wau as well as the town of Wad Alel from 12 June, probably to regaining territory before a planned ceasefire agreement could come into effect. Wad Alel, a settlement dominated by Luo, was captured and mostly destroyed by the SPLA, although the rebel continued to maintain an underground presence in the town. Although a countrywide ceasefire was supposed to take effect on 30 June, the SPLA reportedly attacked the rebels' base of Mboro in Wau State on that day. The government rejected these accusations, stating that Mboro had been under its control since 2016. A rebel spokesman said about the purported clashes in Wau State that "There is the possibility Salva Kiir is not in control of his forces or he doesn't want peace to come". The SPLA offensive continued unabated in the next months, resulting in clashes at Baggari, Bringi, Basselia, Mboro, Farajalla, Ngisa, Ngo Dakalla, Wad Alel, and along the
Jur River. Tens of thousands of civilians were once again displaced, and there were reports widespread abuses at the hands of both sides. Mboro was captured by the SPLA after a battle lasting from 24 to 30 June, whereupon much of the community was destroyed. SPLM-IO rebels retook Wad Alel in July, forcibly recruiting locals and looting the settlement before retreating. == Aftermath ==