By Matik Kueth
South Sudan’s government has reiterated its commitment to boost crude oil production following the resumption of exports to global markets via the Bashayer port on the Red Sea, according to Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs Tut Gatluak.
Gatluak, who led a government delegation to Port Sudan over the weekend, made the announcement following his meeting with Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army Forces and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, on Sunday.
He emphasized South Sudan’s readiness to carry out the agreements reached with the Sudanese government.
“All the technical teams in the two countries are ready to increase production and discharge oil through the Port of Bashir,” he stated.
Gatluak stated that the discussion focused on the issue of oil in South Sudan and underlined the necessity of resolving the challenges associated with pumping and draining oil from South Sudan via Sudanese territory.
He pointed out that pumping pipes from the mountains has begun to traverse all of Sudan’s territory as far as Bashir Port, stressing that South Sudan’s interest in the oil is a top priority.
Abdel fattah Al-Burhan meeting with the South Sudanese government delegation on Sunday in Port Sudan [Photo – Courtesy]
He further noted that the purpose of his travel to Sudan is to investigate all matters pertaining to South Sudan’s oil, citing the impact of the country’s oil transportation network on the fallout from the Sudanese civil war and the suffering of its people.
The presidential advisor also delivered a written message from South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit to Burhan outlining goals for the two countries’ bilateral ties as well as areas of shared interest.
In March 2024, Sudan issued a declaration of force majeure, claiming that the continuous conflict was causing disruptions to the transportation of South Sudanese crude oil via the Bashayer Port Sudan Pipeline.
This occurred after a pipeline that carried 60 percent of the crude broke down in February 2024, causing economic instability in South Sudan.
The decline in oil exports, which generate over 90 percent of the country’s income, caused South Sudan’s currency to sharply depreciate against the US dollar, which in turn caused commodity prices to spike and left countless families scrambling in order to make ends meet.
The circumstance forced South Sudan’s government to look for other options for shipping its crude oil.
President Salva Kir then met with a Chinese oil company official in Beijing in September to discuss plans to build an oil pipeline from Ethiopia to Djibouti to increase the country’s dwindling oil production.
But South Sudan may be able to regain its footing in terms of developing its economic turmoil with the resumption of the nation’s crude oil shipping via Bashayer Port on the Red Sea.