South Sudan Army Killed Civilians in Western Region, Group Says

South Sudanese forces tortured, raped and killed civilians during counterinsurgency operations that began in the country’s northwest last year, Human Rights Watch said.

The abuses started in December in the nation’s Western Bahr el Ghazal area, with government troops attacking civilians in villages and neighborhoods of Wau, the main town, the New York-based rights group said Tuesday in a statement, citing witnesses. Tens of thousands of people were forced to flee, leaving entire villages and districts empty, it said. Army spokesman Lul Ruai Koang denied the allegations.