(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Warring factions in South Sudan are battling for control of the country's dwindling oil production in a sign both sides have given up on faltering peace talks and are instead seeking a military and economic stranglehold over the cash-strapped country.
Oil companies have evacuated non-essential staff from fields in Upper Nile state following renewed heavy fighting in Malakal, the regional capital, over the past week, reported the Financial Times on Monda
Malakal lies about 150km south of the fields in Upper Nile state that pump the bulk of the country's crud
Oil production was hit earlier in the crisis when the rebels in late December took control of Unity state, the other oil-rich regio
Oil executives worry the forces loyal to Riek Machar, the rebel leader, will move beyond Malakal, trying to encircle the fields to gain leverag
They said however that a direct attack against the fields was unlikely, the newspaper sai
An aide to Machar said the fighting was heading towards the oilfields of Adar and Paloich, in Upper Nile stat
"There can be no work because of the fightin
That will stop the oil," the aide sai
Colonel Philip Aguer, spokesman for South Sudan's army, insisted the fields were so far safe in spite of rebel threats to "either divert or close down the oil industry". His government last week intervened to overturn a local state directive to shut down the field
But an industry executive familiar with the situation described a more worrying scenario, with oil groups operating the fields in Upper Nile, including China National Petroleum Company and Malaysia's Petronas, evacuating some staff from Paloic
"They are lifting as many non-essential workers as they can," the executive sai
Industry officials say oil output has fallen to about 150,000 barrels per day, down 40 per cent from before the start of the conflict, which has killed thousands and displaced 900,000 peopl
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.