Category: East Africa

South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

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South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

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Rebel forces who attacked the South Sudanese city of Bor appeared on Wednesday to have driven government forces out of parts of the city, a strategic location seen as a gateway to Juba, the capital, after a day of fierce fighting. “Yesterday our forces did a partial withdrawal from the town but they are still fighting in the suburbs of Bor,” Col. Philip Aguer, a South Sudanese military spokesman, said on Wednesday. The mayor of Bor, Nhial Majak Nhial, said by telephone, “The government is in control of the southern parts of the city,” and added that many residents had fled after rebel forces killed civilians. As the fighting raged, talks to end the conflict were expected to start on Thursday in Ethiopia. Redwan Hussein, the Ethiopian information minister, said that both sides were expected to arrive Wednesday. But, he added, “Talks are not expected […]

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JUBA, South Sudan — Few moments conjure as much fear in South Sudan as the massacre of Bor. Long before South Sudan became a nation, while it was still in the throes of one of Africa’s longest civil wars, fighters tied to a leader named Riek Machar stormed through the city of Bor in 1991, killing 2,000 fellow southerners in an attack that would lay bare the deep divisions in this impoverished land. Since then, the people of South Sudan have had periods of peace, compromise and even shared jubilation at the birth of their nation in 2011. Mr. Machar himself became vice president, apologizing for the massacre. But there was never a real and lasting reconciliation between the factions threatening to pull this new nation apart, and on Tuesday fighters allied with Mr. Machar charged into Bor once again. “This was a fire waiting to be ignited,” said […]

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Breaking news Anti-government rebels in South Sudan attack strategic town of Bor, capture key crossroads near UN base More to follow.

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South Sudan ’s army says it’s confident it can protect the “heart” of the country’s oil production area from rebel attacks. Production in the Paloch area in Melut County, Upper Nile State, is secure, Major General Gregory Vasili, an oil defense force commander, told reporters on a tour organized by South Sudanese authorities yesterday. Upper Nile is producing about 200,000 barrels of oil a day and normally accounts for 80 percent of the country’s oil output, said Paul Adong Deng, managing director of the state-own Nile Petroleum Corp, on the tour. The United Nations estimates that more than 1,000 people have been killed in violence that has spread since fighting on Dec. 15 between soldiers in the presidential guard in the capital, Juba, bringing the country to the edge of civil. President Salva Kiir , an ethnic Dinka, accuses Riek Machar , who is from the Nuer group and […]

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Regional leaders in East Africa announced Friday that they had made progress on a peace deal to help end the crisis in South Sudan, but there was no indication that either side in the conflict was abiding by a cease-fire. Clashes between the rebels and the military continued as government forces launched a major offensive to retake a city in an oil-producing region. Soon after, the military announced that it had seized control of the city, Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State and the scene of intense fighting in recent days. “The push against Malakal began at 6:30 a.m. and was done by noon,” said Col. Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the military. Having recaptured the strategic city of Bor this week, the government seemed to have the upper hand, however fleetingly, in the seesaw battle for control of this two-year-old country. Clashes began […]

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Days of clashes in South Sudan have hit the country’s largest source of revenue as oil production was halted in Unity state after foreign workers fled the oil fields over fears of more fighting in the region. "Unfortunately, the workers have closed the oil. Nobody closed it from us here," said former army General James Koang Chuol, who defected last week and took control of Bentiu, the capital of Unity state. "It is those technicians, fearing what is going on in South Sudan… yesterday they evacuated the area," he said, adding that production has been declining all week. A spokesman for the South Sudanese army said Wednesday that government forces are preparing to launch an imminent offensive to recapture the town. Foreign workers are key to the functioning of South Sudan’s oil industry, which provides the country with its only significant export and is the main source […]

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More than 120,000 people have been displaced by continuing violence in South Sudan, the United Nations said, as African leaders met Friday to find a political solution to a crisis that has exposed ethnic rifts within the country. Regional leaders under a bloc called IGAD are meeting Friday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to discuss South Sudan. That summit is expected to produce a roadmap for peace talks between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, Kiir’s political rival who is accused of orchestrating a failed coup that the government says sparked unrest across the oil-producing East African country. "We in Kenya and the region are concerned with the loss of lives and resultant humanitarian crisis and would like to see the government taking the initiative to end hostilities," Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said late Thursday. The […]

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The United Nations voted Tuesday to send thousands more peacekeepers to South Sudan as the organization said it had found evidence of mass killings along ethnic lines in the country. The U.N. Security Council voted to nearly double its international troops in the country to about 13,800, including 12,500 military and 1,323 international police. Before the council voted, Navi Pillay, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the organization had found at least one mass grave in South Sudan as well as evidence of ethnically targeted killings and arbitrary detentions. On Tuesday, the U.S. military’s Africa Command moved a KC-130 transport plane and around 50 troops from Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, to Entebbe, Uganda, the Pentagon said. The move will allow the Pentagon to send more military personnel to South Sudan more quickly if they are needed to help protect U.S. personnel and facilities in the country, defense officials […]

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South Sudan’s embattled government claimed a victory on Tuesday when President Salva Kiir said his splintered army had retaken a state capital that last week fell to rebels, in fighting that injured two UN peacekeepers and reportedly drew Ugandan air support. In a sign that the conflict in the world’s newest country was escalating, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to authorise some 6,000 additional peacekeepers and police officers to reinforce its presence and protect UN compounds. The move will almost double the existing UN force on the ground. Humanitarians have reported mass graves, ethnic killings and war crimes since Mr Kiir, a member of the Dinka ethnic group, accused his sacked vice-president and long-time adversary Riek Machar, a Nuer, of plotting a coup against him. While Mr Machar denies attempting a coup he has since become the de facto head of a loose and fractured rebellion that has […]

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The security forces went house to house, rounding up civilians by the dozens and binding the wrists of some with wire, survivors said. Some were summarily shot in the street, they said, while others were hauled off to crowded cells. Bodies of the executed were tossed into shallow graves, one recalled. Another jail where civilians had been taken reeked of death, a witness said. “We thought that the war was fought between the soldiers,” said Peter Nhial, 30, one of many in a crowd of desperate people to describe attacks on civilians. Little more than a week after political tensions between South Sudan’s leaders erupted into clashes in the streets of the capital, the crisis has broadened into a societal conflict in which longstanding ethnic divisions are fueling the violence and civilians are often the targets, not accidental victims, of the fighting. On Tuesday, the […]

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There appeared to be no sign of a rapprochement between the central players in the crisis : President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and former vice president Riek Machar, who is a Nuer, as the ethnic killings threaten to overwhelm U.N., U.S. and African efforts to end the violence. In telephone calls Tuesday to Kiir and Machar, Secretary of State John F. Kerry urged them “to accept a cessation of hostilities and begin mediated talks,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The United States has been the primary international backer of South Sudan since its 2011 independence from Sudan. The U.S. Africa Command moved about 50 Marines to neighboring Uganda, better positioning them to take action to protect U.S. facilities and personnel, if needed. The Marines were part of a 150-strong contingent deployed Monday from their base in Spain, along with transport and refueling aircraft, to Djibouti, on the […]

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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sought urgently on Monday to nearly double the size of the U.N. peacekeeping force in South Sudan, while rebel leader Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir both indicated they were ready to talk to try to end a deepening conflict that has killed hundreds of people. A government official, however, said South Sudan would not meet Machar’s demand that detained opposition leaders be released. Ban asked the U.N. Security Council to send 5,500 more peacekeepers to South Sudan as soon as possible to protect civilians from the growing violence in the world’s newest country. There are now some 6,700 U.N. troops and 670 police officers making up the U.N. force in South Sudan. The 15-member council met to discuss the crisis and is due to vote on a resolution approving the increase in peacekeeping troops on Tuesday. "As long as these […]

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Rebel forces loyal to deposed South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar said they captured crude-producing Unity state as the government evacuated some oil workers and plans a partial shutdown of facilities. Fighters led by General James Kong Chol seized Bentiu, the state capital, and other parts of the northern region on Dec. 21 and have aligned themselves with Machar, Chol said in a phone interview yesterday. It’s the second state to fall to anti-government forces after President Salva Kiir’s administration lost control of Bor, capital of Jonglei province, to a group headed by General Peter Gatdet Yak on Dec. 18. Chol and Yak previously headed government forces in the two states. “We’re controlling the area of Unity state,” Chol said from Bentiu. “My government planned to kill me and I have nowhere to go. I decided to join Riek Machar.” Fighting broke out […]

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New details are emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of violence in South Sudan. A reporter in the capital Juba quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces. Another man in Juba reported that gunmen from the Dinka tribe were shooting people in Nuer districts who did not speak the Dinka language. South Sudan’s government has denied it is behind any ethnic violence. The reports emerged as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to add 5,500 UN troops to the 7,000-strong force in South Sudan. Rebels supporting sacked former vice-president Riek Machar have seized major towns over the past week. Tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting. ‘Eyewitness account’ The journalist […]

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New details are emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of violence in South Sudan. A reporter in the capital Juba quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces. Another man in Juba reported that gunmen from the Dinka tribe were shooting people in Nuer districts who did not speak the Dinka language. South Sudan’s government has denied it is behind any ethnic violence. The reports emerged as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Security Council to add 5,500 UN troops to the 7,000-strong force in South Sudan. Rebels supporting sacked former vice-president Riek Machar have seized major towns over the past week. Tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting. ‘Eyewitness account’ The journalist […]

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Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an assault on their base in South Sudan along with 20 civilians who were sheltering there. They were the first U.N. casualties in a week of violence that has spread from the capital to energy-producing regions, spurring Beijing to move to evacuate some Chinese oil workers. What began Sunday night as a clash between army factions has spiraled into nationwide ethnic fighting that threatens to chase away foreign oil companies and choke the lifeblood of the fledgling nation’s economy. Some 500 people have been killed and more than 30,000 forced from their homes. Many civilians, including hundreds of oil workers, have sought shelter in bases belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission, which has reported fighting in six of the country’s 10 states. The U.N. said Friday that its base in the town of Akobo, in Jonglei state, had been attacked overnight "by […]

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Thousands of people have fled to UN compounds in South Sudan to escape clashes between army factions The crisis in South Sudan , which has left hundreds dead, has started to hit global oil supplies, compounding the effects of production losses in Nigeria and Libya and putting upward pressure on […]

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; American citizens were evacuated from a contested area of South Sudan on Sunday after a local rebel commander provided assurances that there would be no interference, Western officials said. The evacuation, which involved about 15 Americans, was carried out by helicopter from the United Nations compound in Bor, in Jonglei State, which is surrounded by 2,000 armed youths. It came one day after American Special Operations forces tried to evacuate the Americans there, only to turn back after the three Osprey aircraft being used for the mission ran into heavy small-arms fire. Four American service members were wounded in that episode . “We were able to evacuate all Americans who presented themselves at the U.N. camp in Bor,” a State Department official said. “We will continue to work to confirm whether there are any remaining American citizens in Bor who need to be evacuated.” The Sunday evacuation […]

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South Sudan will need $1.1 billion of humanitarian aid in 2014 after violence in the past week displaced 62,000 people, the United Nations said. The escalating crisis in South Sudan makes it “crucial that aid agencies get money needed to respond early in the year,” UN Assistant Secretary-General Toby Lanzer said on his Twitter page from Juba, capital of the nation that was split off from Sudan in 2011, becoming independent. The fighting in South Sudan, which broke out on Dec. 15, has already claimed as many as 500 lives, including UN peacekeepers. A rebel force linked to deposed Vice President Riek Machar and led by General James Kong Chol last week captured Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, and said it has taken control of the oil-rich nation. Machar, who is being hunted by security forces, has called for President Salva Kiir to step down for failing to […]

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The acting governor of oil-rich Unity state in South Sudan said at least 16 people were killed during clashes there between oil workers and rival tribes. Acting Unity state Gov. Mabaek Lang De Mading said hundreds of people have fled the area to U.N. safe havens and more than a dozen were killed after clashes erupted in the oil-rich state, the independent Sudan Tribune reports. The Sudanese newspaper said oil workers used spears, knives and sticks during the melee with tribal groups. Conflict erupted in South Sudan this week when Salva Kiir, the country’s president, accused former Vice President Riek Machar of staging a coup. South Sudan is the world’s newest nation. When it gained independence from Sudan in 2011, the landlocked country gained control over much of the oil producing regions but Sudan maintained its grip on export infrastructure. Chinese government […]

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Two United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an assault on their base in South Sudan along with 20 civilians who were sheltering there. They were the first U.N. casualties in a week of violence that has spread from the capital to energy-producing regions, spurring Beijing to move to evacuate some Chinese oil workers. What began Sunday night as a clash between army factions has spiraled into nationwide ethnic fighting that threatens to chase away foreign oil companies and choke the lifeblood of the fledgling nation’s economy. Some 500 people have been killed and more than 30,000 forced from their homes. Many civilians, including hundreds of oil workers, have sought shelter in bases belonging to the U.N. peacekeeping mission, which has reported fighting in six of the country’s 10 states. The U.N. said Friday that its base in the town of Akobo, in Jonglei state, had been attacked overnight "by […]

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The United Nations provided sobering details on Friday of an assault on a peacekeeping base in South Sudan that underscored the organization’s fragile ability to protect civilians in the country, where sectarian mayhem has escalated in recent days. Two thousand armed youths of Nuer ethnicity overran the facility the previous day, killing at least 11 ethnic Dinka civilians seeking refuge and two Indian peacekeepers who had tried to protect them, the United Nations said. The assault on the base in the town of Akobo in Jonglei State on Thursday was among a number of alarming developments that have increased the fear of an impending civil war in South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, where ethnic hatreds, initially obscured after independence from Sudan two years ago, have been reaggravated and inflamed. Between 35,000 and 40,000 civilians have taken refuge in at least three other United Nations peacekeeping bases in the […]

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The U.N. says 34,000 people in South Sudan are seeking refuge at U.N. bases in three locations across the country. The U.N.’s humanitarian arm said Friday that 20,000 people are seeking shelter in the capital, Juba, while 14,000 are seeking shelter in Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, the scene of heavy violence this week. Several hundred people are seeking shelter in Bentiu, the capital of Unity State, where South Sudan’s oil fields are concentrated. The U.S. Embassy was flying out a fifth emergency evacuation flight on Friday. A German plane was also scheduled to fly out. Violence broke out among South Sudan’s presidential guard late Sunday night. Fighting spread across the country over the next several days, leading to fears of a civil war between ethnic groups. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be […]

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The United Nations said on Friday it had sent helicopters to rescue personnel from a base in South Sudan that came under lethal attack as a political crisis worsened significantly and President Obama warned that the world’s youngest country “stands at the precipice.” The number of civilians seeking refuge in the United Nations’ other facilities there exceeded 30,000 and diplomats expressed fears about the potential for a civil war. Britain, which began evacuating its nationals on Thursday, said Friday that it would send a second airplane to Juba, the capital. “We strongly advise all British nationals in South Sudan to leave the country if they can do so safely,” the Foreign Office said, adding that it might become more difficult to escape if the situation worsened further. The United States suspended operations at its embassy in Juba this week and offered similar advice to Americans. On its […]

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In a sign of mounting international concern about fighting in South Sudan, Britain said on Thursday that it had dispatched an airplane to evacuate British nationals as clashes were reported to have spread following claims of an attempted coup. The Foreign Office said that around 150 of the estimated 500 Britons in the newly created country had been in touch with British officials, many of them wanting to leave the country. The developments came a day after the South Sudanese Army said that it had lost control of a town in the north of the country. South Sudan declared its independence in July 2011, after years of struggle to break away from the Arab-dominated north of Sudan. But in the past few days, President Salva Kiir has accused his former vice president, Riek Machar, of attempting to overthrow him — a charge Mr. Machar denied on Wednesday. […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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Displaced Sudanese civilians arrive at the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) compound on the outskirts of the capital Juba in South Sudan 19 December 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Thousands of people are seeking refuge from the fighting in UN compounds South Sudanese rebels have taken over a key town, the military has said, as fighting continues after Sunday’s reported coup attempt. "Our soldiers have lost control of Bor to the force of Riek Machar," said army spokesman Philip Aguer. President Salva Kiir has accused Mr Machar, the former vice-president, of staging a coup – a claim he denies. The unrest, which began in the capital Juba, has already killed 500 people and sparked fears of a civil war. The United Nations has called for political dialogue to end the crisis, and Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said about 20,000 people had taken refuge in […]

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The United Nations received reports from local sources in South Sudan on Tuesday that between 400 and 500 people had been killed and up to 800 wounded in the latest violence, and the government said it had arrested 10 politicians in connection with a "foiled coup". "Two hospitals have recorded between 400 and 500 dead and (up to) 800 wounded," a diplomat in New York said on condition of anonymity, citing an estimate United Nations peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous gave during a closed-door briefing for the 15-member body. Another diplomat confirmed Ladsous’ remarks, adding that the United Nations was not in a position to verify the figures. Earlier on Tuesday, a South Sudanese health ministry official told Reuters that at least 26 people were dead after fighting in Juba between rival groups of soldiers from Sunday night into Monday morning. Sporadic gunfire and blasts continued […]

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South Sudanese President Salva Kiir imposed a curfew after soldiers supporting former Vice President Riek Machar tried to overthrow the government last night. The government is in control after attacks in the city, including one at at a meeting of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation movement, at 6 p.m., Kiir told reporters in the capital, Juba. The curfew will be enforced between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., he said. The governments of the U.S. and U.K. warned citizens in Juba to be careful amid reports that fighting was ongoing. “They tried an attempted coup but it failed,” Kiir said. “We are not going to say whom we have arrested and how many.” Kiir fired Machar in July along with the entire cabinet after the former deputy said he will contest the 2015 presidential elections against Kiir. The winner of internal elections for the ruling party will be the party’s […]

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Sporadic gunfire rang out early Monday in the South Sudan capital, Juba, in what a senior military official said were clashes between factions of the country’s military. Some military installations in Juba had come under attack from armed soldiers who have since been repulsed, said Col. Philip Aguer, the South Sudan military spokesman. He offered no more details, saying an investigation was underway and that the situation was tense but not likely to deteriorate. "So far the army is in full control of Juba," he said. An Associated Press reporter saw heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets of Juba early Monday amid sporadic gunfire emerging from Juba’s main army barracks. There has been political tension in the world’s youngest nation since South Sudan President Salva Kiir fired Riek Machar as his deputy in July. Machar, who has expressed a willingness to contest […]

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The construction of South Sudan’s delayed first oil refinery is due to start before the end of the year, its government said Thursday, as the country seeks to end chronic fuel supply disruptions. The information ministry said in a statement that construction of the 5,000 barrel-a-day Bentiu Refinery in the Unity state was originally expected to begin in July but had been delayed, mainly due to bad road conditions that hindered equipment delivery. South Sudan took the majority of Sudan’s oil production when it became independent in 2011 but has no refineries of its own and has had to import fuel from Sudan or other neighboring countries. The Bentiu Refinery is key in helping the country to control escalating fuel prices caused by inflation, a weakening currency and disruptions along the main import route through Uganda caused by flooding. The plant […]

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The construction of South Sudan’s delayed first oil refinery is due to start before the end of the year, its government said Thursday, as the country seeks to end chronic fuel supply disruptions. The information ministry said in a statement that construction of the 5,000 barrel-a-day Bentiu Refinery in the Unity state was originally expected to begin in July but had been delayed, mainly due to bad road conditions that hindered equipment delivery. South Sudan took the majority of Sudan’s oil production when it became independent in 2011 but has no refineries of its own and has had to import fuel from Sudan or other neighboring countries. The Bentiu Refinery is key in helping the country to control escalating fuel prices caused by inflation, a weakening currency and disruptions along the main import route through Uganda caused by flooding. The plant […]

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Exports of Nile and Dar Blend crude oil from Sudan and South Sudan could be raised to 300,000 b/d next year from a current 230,000 b/d as more fields that were previously shut-in are brought back online, officials from South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mining said Thursday. “The shutdown was one year and two months and there is a big focus now to bring the production up. The main challenge is that the fields produced too much water during the shutdown and now we’re doing some maintenance and so many fields are currently not producing,” a ministry official said on the sidelines of a conference in Shanghai. “In 2014, the production [of both blends] may reach 300,000 b/d and there is ongoing focus in the longer term to reach up to 400,000 b/d or 500,000 b/d,” he added. Article continues below… Request a […]

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Exports of Nile and Dar Blend crude oil from Sudan and South Sudan could be raised to 300,000 b/d next year from a current 230,000 b/d as more fields that were previously shut-in are brought back online, officials from South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mining said Thursday. “The shutdown was one year and two months and there is a big focus now to bring the production up. The main challenge is that the fields produced too much water during the shutdown and now we’re doing some maintenance and so many fields are currently not producing,” a ministry official said on the sidelines of a conference in Shanghai. “In 2014, the production [of both blends] may reach 300,000 b/d and there is ongoing focus in the longer term to reach up to 400,000 b/d or 500,000 b/d,” he added. Article continues below… Request a […]

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Share/Bookmark Sudan’s central bank has devalued the Sudanese pound by 22.6 percent against the dollar, the second such move in little over a year as the African country struggles with hard currency shortages. Sudan’s economy has been in turmoil since South Sudan’s secession in 2011 took away of three-quarters of oil production. Oil was the driver of the economy and source for dollars needed for food and other essential imports. Sudan produces too little to feed its around 32 million people. Bidding prices for the pound were stated as 5.6871 for one dollar, compared with 4.4 previously, central bank data on Reuters terminals showed on Monday. Ask prices were 5.7155. In 2011, the official rate was around 3. The central bank has been trying to bridge a ballooning gap with the black market rate where one dollar costs 7.8 pounds as import firms struggle to get their hand on […]

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