Ousted regime plans to sabotage Sudan’s oil facilities

KHARTOUM, January 25, 2020 – A Sudanese senior official said that elements of the ousted regime planned to sabotage oil fields in East Darfur and West Kordofan states.

“We received (security) reports that some members of the ousted al-Bashir’s regime plan to damage oil production areas by causing a rift between the local tribes in those areas,” said Hamid Suleiman the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mining in statements to told Sudan Tribune on Saturday.

He stressed that the transitional government has taken the necessary measures to prevent such schema. He added that a security committee monitors the oil facilities to avoid any sabotage and inspect the oil fields regularly.

The security committee includes the Sudan Armed Forces, the Central Reserve Forces, the police and the General Intelligence Service.

The committee recently deployed additional forces in the oilfields in West Kordofan and East Darfur.

On 15 January, the army quelled a mutiny by the disbanded Operations Corps elements of the former National Intelligence and Security Services in Khartoum and several areas including oil fields in Darfur.

He stressed that the government is working on two levels to prevent any troubles that may cause damage to the fields.

“The first is the local component as we are working with the youth and local leaders in the fields’ areas to meet their demands and to provide necessary services. The second is to enhance the security of oil facilities”.

He further pointed to the ongoing coordination between all relevant ministries and security authorities to contain all crises in the oil fields.

Earlier this month, Minister of Energy and Mining, Adel Ali Ibrahim, said the security situation of the oil areas is calm and stable. He said the mutinous elements had sought to take the control of oil facilities in Darfur and Kordofan production’s areas.

(ST)