The SPLA has carried out deadly attacks on civilians in Wau Town since late December 2015, according to a report by the Human Rights Watch.

The rights grope says the soldiers killed, tortured, raped and detained civilians. It says they also looted and burned down homes.

The human rights advocacy group says the abuses in the region took place during government counter-insurgency operations that intensified after the August 2015 peace deal.

Human Rights Watch says its research team who went to Wau last month found that as a result of the violations, tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee.

The report implicated a number of top SPLA officials.

It says local authorities, including the governor of the newly created Wau state, Elias Waya, and community leaders have been reporting the spate of abuses.

However, in March, President Salva Kiir sent a fact-finding commission composed of high-ranking officials on a week-long mission to Wau, but the findings are yet to be submitted.

Human Rights Watch says the SPLA categorically denied the findings that the rights group had presented in a meeting.

The SPLA made the statement in a letter dated the 5th of May.

Africa director at Human Rights Watch Daniel Bekele says the new government should immediately call a halt to the abuse and free all arbitrarily detained civilians.

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The SPLA is yet to respond on the matter.