WAW

also spelled Wau, town, southwestern Sudan. It lies on the western bank of the Jur River (a tributary of Al-Ghazal River), about 140 miles (220 km) northwest of Rumbek. Waw serves as a trading centre for the cotton, tobacco, peanuts (groundnuts), cereals, fruits, and vegetables grown in the irrigated area to the north and in the unirrigated south. Industrial products include processed and canned food, as well as wood and wooden products. Waw is a centre of internal navigation on the Jur River with routes emanating toward Bentiu and Malakal. A road and railway connect it with Uwayl, and it has a domestic airport. An experimental rice research centre and a vocational training institute are located at Waw. The town was the scene of antigovernment disturbances in 1965 in which a number of people were killed and much of Waw was destroyed as a result of police and army action to put down the disorders. Peaceful conditions were restored after a massive reconstruction program was begun in 1972. However, civil war resumed in 1983. Pop. (1980 est.) 116,000.