South Sudan restricts delivery of fuel supply to Sudan
September 10, 2024 (JUBA) – South Sudan has restricted the supply of fuel to neighbouring Sudan in the wake of a diplomatic push and engagement from the military led by the Sovereign Council of the Sudan.
The shift in fuel supply comes after the new Sudanese Ambassador to Juba, Isam Mohamed Hassan assumed his diplomatic duties a few days after President Salva Kiir and his accompanying delegation met and discussed bilateral issues with Sudan at the China-Africa summit sidelines.
“We have received directives from the Ministry of Trade, Security, Interior and the general command to closely monitor and restrict the movement of fuel and other supplies to Sudan. We don’t know the reasons, but I think it could be within the framework of bilateral engagements. You may also know that the Sovereign Council of Sudan has been making claims that South Sudan is one of the countries from which fuel supplies are sourced,” explained a security officer in Wau.
The officer said it was hard to identify who was buying fuel for use by armed actors in the Sudan conflict because those who were involved in buying goods in South Sudan and selling them in Sudan did not identify themselves as a group supporting one group against the other in Sudan.
“When they come, they come as traders in their civilian clothes and they don’t buy from the government. They buy in the market and when you restrict the sale, it causes a pushback from the businesspeople and this undermines the economy and you know our economy is a command economy. It is a free economy and this is why our markets are guided by the forces of demand and supply”, the security officer, who preferred anonymity, told Sudan Tribune on Monday.
President Kiir and the Chairman of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, Lt. Gen. Abdul Fatah Al-Burhan reportedly held discussion which mainly focused on the strong relations between the two countries and explored ways to support and develop the ties for the benefit of both nations.
The leaders, sources said, also discussed the peace and security situation in the region and in their countries as well as touched base on individual processes and initiatives on the sedan peace.
South Sudan has consistently advocated for peace in neighbouring Sudan, with President Kiir pushing for political understanding and negotiations to resolve the conflict that erupted in April 2023. The war, which has devastated the country, continues to intensify as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) expand operations at the border with South Sudan, raising alarm of the local leadership.
Of particular concern is the RSF’s presence in Raja County in Western Bahr El Ghazal state where local authorities allege their involvement in mining mineral resources in the Kafia-Kinji, an area of contention with Sudan since it was transferred to Darfur by President Ibrahim Aboud in 1960.
The war in Sudan has attracted interests, owing to its geographic location. Sudan is strategically located on the coast of the Red Sea at the crossroads of sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The war-torn nation possesses natural resources while its location on the coast of the Red Sea provides access to the Suez Canal, which is one of the most heavily traveled waterways worldwide.
(ST)