South Sudan on Monday resumed the production of crude oil from its Unity oilfields, where production had been stopped since 2013 due to the conflict.
Income from oil accounts for 98 percent of the country's budget. The revitalized peace deal signed last year has revived hopes of economic recovery in Africa's youngest nation.
“We are now producing 35,000 barrels a day (Unity Oilfields 15,000 barrels per day and Toma South Oilfields with 20,000 barrels per day)," oil minister Ezekiel Lul Gatkuoth said during a celebration at the oil field.
Minister Gatkuoth was accompanied by Sudan’s oil and gas minister Azhari Abdulqader to celebrate together the official pumping of additional 15,000 barrels per day of crude oil in the northern part of country.
The minister said production at Toma South and Unity oilfields will rise to 70,000 barrels per day by the end of this year.
“With this production, I can confidently say South Sudan and Sudan economy will improve for the betterment of the citizens of our two sisterly countries” said Ezekiel.
Landlocked South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, lacks the infrastructure to process its crude oil, forcing it to use pipelines that go through neighboring Sudan to export its oil to the international market.