The Deputy Governor of Wau State, Charles Anthony Brende, says there was fighting in Wau Town, near Saint Mark’s prayer center on Monday morning.

It is not clear what caused the fight and which parties are involved.

“There is fighting in front of me and now I am rushing to the area. There is likely a clash near the St. Mark’s church toward Juw and I am now going to see,” said Mr Brende.

In a separate incident, two prison warders died after warders fought among themselves at Wau’s main prison.

The Deputy Spokesperson of the SPLA, Colonel Santo Domic said the reason behind the fighting is not known.

“Four prison warders from Wau main prison decided to killed two of their colleagues and then they fled to unknown destination and the reason for killing is yet to being investigated,” said Colonel Domic.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan on Monday afternoon issued a statement saying it has been informed that a number of government soldiers were killed in an ambush on Sunday to the south of the town of Wau in the north-west of the country.

Fighting then spread to Wau.

The Mission said it mounted two patrols into Wau on Monday and observed the bodies of 16 civilians in a hospital.

It says there were ten other people who had been injured.

UNMISS says eighty-four people arrived at its Protection of Civilians site, while an influx of at least 3,000 people at a Catholic church in the town, mostly women and children, has been reported.

The statement added that the fighting follows the movement of SPLA troops, tanks and equipment towards the south-western part of Wau late last week.