South Sudan oil pipeline spared of violence for now in Khartoum

By Adia Jildo

Several government officials and experts in South Sudan have been anxious over the fate of the oil pipeline linking to neighboring Sudan, which is currently mired in conflict.

Deng Dau Deng, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the oil pipe line transporting South Sudan’s crude from it’s northern oil field has so far been spared of the ongoing violence between two Sudanese military factions.

“South Sudan has alerted it’s northern states such as Ruweng, Northern and Western Barh-el Ghazal, and Upper Nile to keep alert on the border and to see what is happening, so far there are no serious indication on our northern border,” Deng said on Tuesday.

“Officially, we have not got that kind of information. The minister of petroleum and our people in Port Sudan have not reported any kind of incident,” he added.

Deng said these remarks while briefing diplomatic corps, United Nations and other regional bodies and organizations on the situation in Sudan in the capital, Juba.

Social media reports have been insinuating that the oil pipelines to Port Sudan could have been damaged after fighting spread to the area.

The conflict in Sudan erupted on Saturday following deep disagreement between Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, leader of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the integration of the latter’s forces into the national army.

The violence has claimed more than 100 lives and left nearly 2000 people injured.