2011

Guidance Regarding the Application of the Sudanese Sanctions Regulations to the New State to be Formed by the Secession of Southern Sudan

A hospital has been built in Bentiu town by Chinese investors. It was opened on 5 April. China is strengthening its ties with the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) ahead of the declaration of South Sudan’s independence on 9 July 2011. China is one of the foreign countries in oil drilling in Sudan.

The governments of north and south Sudan must deliver on stated commitments to transparency in the oil sector in order to preserve peace and drive development, said Global Witness ahead of a new round of oil talks which start in Ethiopia on 9 April 2011.

The Chinese government has completed a fully-equipped hospital in Bentiu town of Unity state in order to boost bilateral relations between China and South Sudan.

The SPLM has repeatedly warned it will halt oil exports to the North if Khartoum continues to support armed militias in the South. The latest round of threats deals another blow to the North-South relationship.
Some observers view the Sudan People's Liberation Movement's (SPLM) threats to Khartoum as a worn-out tactic. But this mounting pressure is clearly hurting North-South relations.

Southern Sudan may agree to pay as much as 30 percent of its oil revenue to the government in the north after it becomes an independent nation in July, said the region’s foreign trade minister, Elias Nyamlel Wakoson.

The net revenues of Sudan’s oil in January has reached 461.43 million US dollars of which the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) will receive 192.78 million including 47.16 million of the domestically-sold crude oil.

Oil exploration in Sudan continues despite major political changes. In Bentiu, one of the oil companies jumped on the euphoria train, celebrating the referendum outcome with Southerners, promising better life standards in the region.

ECOS is pleading for a straightforward fee-for-service model, and urges the parties to resolve the oil industry’s painful legacies, including environmental degradation and damages to the communities in the oil areas during and after the war.

Sudan’s Block B may see some action from France’s Total in the next few months. According to Sudan’s Petroleum Ministry Total should begin exploring the block by April.