South Sudan’s cabinet holding an emergency meeting on oil shutdown

June 9, 2013 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s cabinet is in an emergency meeting today in response to the recent development on announcement by the Sudan’s president Omer Hassan Al Bashir to close the oil pipeline and shut down the South’s oil transport through its sea port.

President Al Bashir on Saturday announced he had ordered his petroleum minister, Awad Al Jaz, to close the oil pipeline and cut off South Sudan’s oil. Bashir accused South Sudan of supporting rebels of the SPLM-N.

A reliable source close to the cabinet told Sudan Tribune that the emergency meeting called by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, has been going on for the last two hours discussing the action Juba will take in response to the development.

The two countries have signed a matrix and mechanisms for implementing the cooperation agreements including the proposed formation of a high level committee co-chaired by the two countries’ vice presidents, Ali Osman Taha and Riek Machar.

Machar and Taha, who were responsible for the file in implementing the CPA during the six years interim period, were to implement the cooperation agreements and avert any tensions.

However the proposed committees have not been formed, leaving the two sides with no high level forums to resolve the outstanding issues.

Sudan Tribune will bring details on the unfolding resolution of the cabinet.

(ST)