Oil exports resume through Port Sudan

By Mohammed Amin

KHARTOUM, SUDAN (AA) - The crude oil exports through the Port of Sudan have been resumed on Monday after days of closure, the Sudanese Oil Ministry confirmed on Monday.

South Sudan's oil exports have been stopped since Friday due to nationwide protests in eastern Sudan.

The ministry said in a statement reached by Anadolu Agency that the government and protesters in eastern Sudan agreed to reopen the Bashair oil port near Port Sudan.

“The delegation of the transitional government from the center in Khartoum that visited Port Sudan on Sunday has agreed with the protesters in eastern Sudan to reopen the port and resume the exportation” the statement read.

The ministry further said the shipments have resumed today and the delayed export operations have been rescheduled.

It has also reassured that the reserve of the fuel for domestic consumption in Sudan remains stable as the Khartoum refinery operates normally despite the closure.

The closure of the Bashair oil port in Red Sea State has raised wide concerns of damages to the oil pipelines and facilities in Sudan and South Sudan over the past days.

Protesters from eastern Sudan that rejected a component of the Juba peace agreement regarding eastern Sudan have blockaded the main roads linking Port Sudan on the Red Sea with the other parts of the country and close the main ports stopping the movement of exportation and importation.

South Sudan exports around 150,000 barrels of oil daily through Port Sudan.