South Sudan Resumes Oil Mining Amid Conflicts for Economic Boost

JUBA, South Sudan - After years of political turmoil, the Republic of South Sudan is set to start mining crude oil, a move that would significantly improve its economic fortunes and help streamline the unemployment rate which has proliferated in recent years.

The oil mining stopped due to domestic wrangles and fighting with the neighbouring Sudan, which is equally in conflict. The exportation of oil from the country is expected to begin early this year, AFP reports.

The landlocked and impoverished country's vital oil had been shipped to global markets from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, with Khartoum taking a cut as a transit fee. South Sudan officially became an independent country in 2011 after wrangling with the north.

The transportation of oil stopped after the main pipeline to the Port of Sudan was significantly damaged after clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces, which has had negative ramifications for the South.

"The Ministry of Petroleum is hereby declaring the 30th December 2024 as the official kick-off date for the resumption of production operations in blocks three and seven," the director general for Petroleum Authority, Kon John Akot, said in a letter dated December 19.

The letter to the president of Dar Petroleum Operating County (DPOC) -- among the firms in a consortium running South Sudan's oilfield -- requested the firm "promptly share DPOC's Production Resumption Plans".

Although AFP could not ascertain if oil mining had started, the letter dated 23rd December 2024 addressed to other consortium members indicated that several issues had not been effectively solved.

"Once these issues have been satisfactorily resolved, a final decision regarding the resumption Kick-Off Date can be determined and approved," it said.

After getting independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan took over three-quarters of its oil reserves and can produce more than 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day. However, ethnic violence and political instability have significantly affected the country's desire for economic growth.

GAROWE ONLINE