| Official Name: | Wau |
| Native Name: | واو |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Motto: | Arabic: واو نار|''Wau Naar Wau Nuur Wau Mayi Nom'' English: "Wau is Fire, Wau Is Light, Wau Shall Not Sleep" |
| Pushpin Map: | South Sudan#Africa |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Bahr el Ghazal |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Western Bahr el Ghazal |
| Subdivision Type3: | County |
| Subdivision Name3: | Wau County |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Total: | 320,752[1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Timezone: | CAT |
| Utc Offset: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 7.7°N 28°W |
| Elevation M: | 433 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1420 |
Wau (Arabic: واو|''Wāw''; also known as Wow, Waw, or Wau Town) is a city in northwestern South Sudan, on the western bank of the Jur River, that serves as capital for Western Bahr el Ghazal (and formerly Wau State).[2] It lies approximately 650km (400miles) northwest of the capital Juba.[3] A culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse urban center and trading hub, Wau is also the former headquarters of Western Bahr el Ghazal. The city has been a municipality since 2012 and is governed by a mayor who the state governor usually appoints.The city comprises several neighborhoods including Nazareth, Hai Fahal, Lokloko, Sika Hadid, Daraja, and many more.
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.
One of the first insurgent Anyanya attacks on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) took place at the Wau barracks in January 1964.
During the Second Sudanese Civil War, Wau remained a SAF garrison town. It was the scene of extensive fighting in the spring of 1998. Battles erupted again in the town in the spring of the 1980s, killing several hundred people. This forced the Dinka in Wau to seek safety on the eastern side of Wau. The Dinka were said to have migrated to the state today known as Warrap.
In 2010, the Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment proposed to reshape the city as a giraffe.[5]
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 clashed with SPLA loyalists, and then fled into the rural countryside, joining a long march of other deserters to Sudan. 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.[6]
In 2016, Wau experienced heavy clashes that displaced much of its Fertit population and led to widespread destruction.[7] 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,[8] [9] and displacing thousands.[10]
The population of Wau is ethnically diverse. Most of the inhabitants are Luo and Fertit, as the town lies on the tribal boundary between these two peoples.[11] Furthermore, minorities belonging to the Dinka of Marial Baai, peoples can be found in Wau.[12] Due to its diversity, Wau has repeatedly suffered from ethnic violence.[13] [14]
In 2008, Wau was the third-largest city in South Sudan, by population, behind the national capital Juba and Malakal, in Upper Nile State. At that time, the estimated population of the city of Wau was about 128,100.[15] In 2011, the city's population was estimated at 151,320.[16]
| Year | Population[17] | |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 52,800 | |
| 1983 | 58,000 | |
| 1993 | 84,000 | |
| 2010 | 128,100 | |
| 2011 | 151,320 |
Its Cathedral of St. Mary (built 1905, before the erection of the former Apostolic Prefecture of Bahr el-Ghazal) is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wau, which serves the province's religious majority.
Wau is a vibrant economic center by the standards of the newly established Republic of South Sudan, and serves as a hub for trade between Darfur, Bahr al Ghazal, and Equatoria.[11] The major contributors to the local economy include:
Like other parts of South Sudan and the East Sudanian savanna, Wau has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw), with a wet season and a dry season and the temperature being hot year-round. The average annual mean temperature is 27.8C, the average annual high temperature is 34.7C, while the average annual low temperature is 20.9C. The hottest time of year is from March to May, just before the wet season starts. March is the hottest month, having the highest average high at 38.1C and the highest mean at 30.4C. April has the highest average low at 23.8C. August and July have the lowest average high at 31.4C, with August having the lowest mean at 26.2C. December has the lowest average low at 17.9C.
Wau receives of rain over 102.4 precipitation days, with a distinct wet and dry season like most tropical savanna climates. Almost no rain falls from November to March. August, the wettest month, receives of rainfall on average. September has 23.7 precipitation days, which is the most of any month. Humidity is much higher in the wet season than in the dry season, with February having a humidity of just 26% and August having a humidity of 77%. Wau receives 2777 hours of sunshine annually on average, with the sunshine being distributed fairly evenly across the year, although it is lower during the wet season. December receives the most sunshine, while July receives the least.
Some of the notable people from Wau include
