Sudan sends officials to Juba to discuss resumption of oil exports after peace deal

A Sudanese delegation has arrived in South Sudan to discuss the resumption of oil exports, Sudan's ministry of oil and gas has announced.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

09 July, 2018

A power sharing deal between South Sudan's rival leaders was concluded Saturday [AFP]

A Sudanese delegation arrived in South Sudan on Sunday to discuss the resumption of oil exports, Sudan's ministry of oil said on Sunday

"A delegation from the ministry and a number of oil companies arrived in South Sudan to get acquainted with arrangements to resume oil pumping," said Saad al-Din al-Bushra, state minister at ministry of oil and gas, in a statement quoted by Xinhua agency.

The delegation would visit the oil fields after completion of some security arrangements, added Bushra.

Oil-rich South Sudan became the world's newest nation in July 2011 after many years of independence struggle against the Khartoum government of Sudan, but soon fell into infighting of its own.

Oil production as a result of the civil war dropped to about 120,000 and 150,000 barrels a day, from a peak of 350,000 barrels before independence, according to the World Bank.

In June, Sudan hosted talks with South Sudanese oil officials to discuss the restoration of damaged oil fields in South Sudan.

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A deal reached by South Sudan's rivals in Khartoum last year included an agreement for the Sudan government to help protect the oil fields in coordination with Juba.

South Sudan rivals Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir agreed on Saturday to a power-sharing deal that will see rebel leader Machar return to his post as vice president.

The deal was struck in Kampala, Uganda and aimed to end more than four years of civil war in the fledgling nation.