via South Sudan has called on Zimbabwe to help protect oilfields – Oil | Platts News Article & Story Juba (Platts)–26Mar2014
South Sudan has called on Zimbabwe to help protect its oilfields, which are increasingly under threat from rebel forces, state-owned South Sudan Television quoted the country’s foreign affairs minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, as saying on Wednesday.
“Zimbabwe should join IGAD countries to help protect South Sudan oilfields,” said Benjamin, referring to the East African regional group, the Inter-governmental Authority on Development.
Benjamin did not specify the type of support sought by South Sudan.
On March 13, IGAD announced plans to deploy troops from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi and Djibouti to protect vital installations including oilfields in the troubled country.
A meeting has yet to take place to discuss the size and the mandate of the IGAD force.
Benjamin made the appeal in the capital Juba, when meeting with Zimbabwe’s ambassador to South Sudan Kufa Chinoza.
Benjamin urged the government of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe to participate in the inclusive political dialogue due to take place in Pretoria, South Africa.
South Sudan and rebel forces will hold face-to-face talks, being mediated by IGAD, in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Thursday.
“We are following the Addis Ababa talks closely. We’ll support every efforts including that being mediated by IGAD to bring peace to South Sudan,” Chinoza told SSTV on Wednesday, after meeting with Benjamin.
Violence erupted in South Sudan after a section of the Presidential guards supporting former vice-president Riek Machar attempted to topple President Salva Kiir in Juba in mid-December 2013.
The fighting then spread quickly to the oil-rich states of Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile.
Rebel forces halted production in Unity state. Prior to the coup attempt, Unity state produced 45,000 b/d of crude, or 15% of South Sudan’s total output of 245,000 b/d.
Upper Nile state, which used to produce 200,000 b/d of crude before the outbreak of the violence, also is affected.
Early this month, South Sudan presidential press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny told a news conference in the Sudanese capital Khartoum that South Sudan’s oil output has been cut by about 29%. “South Sudan is still getting more than 175,000 barrels a day,” Ateny was quoted as saying by AFP on March 1.
Zimbabwe had supported South Sudan during its 1983-2005 independence war with the Sudan. South Sudan split from the Sudan in 2011, taking with it the majority of the oil.
–Moyiga Nduru, newsdesk@platts.com
–Edited by Lisa Miller, lisa.miller@platts.com
COMMENTS
Unfortunately Zimbabwe no longer has an army fit enough to fight. Its generals are busy farming nothing but grass.
I doubt most Generals could even find Sudan on a map let alone protect it
Regai zviende zvimbotapudzika nekuti vanonyumbwira chaizvo. Mhondoro iyi ndizvo zvainotofariraka nokuti panodeuka rakawanda revadiki ndipo pamunoona achitanga kusimba nekugwinya. Ndokuchekeresa kwacho. This spook will survive beyond 100 years, mark my word.
We have enough trouble already
At least they may get a square meal if they do go.As long as Sudan pays fully and all the revenue comes into the treasury…..yeah right!!
mercenary army for hire, it that what you want?
After fighting in the Sudan war, then South Africa will give incentives to its nationals to invest there, just like in Mozambique and DRC.Never ever should parliament agree to such madness.No salary for civil servants and you dream of war.Central African problems are unigue.Those nations are of multiple tribes and patronage is on tribal grounds.So you need thorough knowledge to go there.And I believe Robert JNR will be the General , seconded by Chatunga and Simba Chikore driving the jet fighters.That much we can say lets go
With no money for salaries this is what bob was waiting for .they will send them away to be killed and the Chiwengas will get the war booty just like they did in DRC.
you right Roving Ambassador, this is just what Mugarbage wants a war to kill off the population this will bring the employment rate down, lets get Territorials as we did in days long gone we could do TF training then send these unemployed to South Sudan, Syria, Crimea and wherever else, Army for hire then they could get more money to steal, the army would be well fed (the ones that survive) and the population will drop we need to send some of the generals from Army Police and Air-force to go control the fighting I’m sure that they can teach those Americans and Brits how to fight.
Do we really need a diplomatic mission in South Sudan? What purpose does it serve besides wasting taxe payers’ money