South Sudan rebels reportedly in control of oilfields
Armed rebels were said to be in control of some of South Sudan’s oil fields Friday, raising questions of how long the country’s oil will flow and whether Sudan could enter the conflict.
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Fighting continued to spread on Friday in Jonglei and Unity state, an oil area, as armed groups opposed to the nation’s military emerged, said a South Sudan expert communicating with combatants and U.N. officials in strife-torn regions outside the capital.
“We’ve seen the conflict expand quite rapidly and quite dramatically in recent days. We’ve seen the emergence of different armed groups under different commands, and we’ve seen the former vice-president say he’s not interested in talks that don’t end in Salva Kiir stepping down,” said Casie Copeland, South Sudan analyst for the International Crisis Group. She added that the arrival of regional foreign ministers in Juba “is genuinely a good thing.”
Armed opposition groups appeared to be in control of some oil fields in Unity state, she said. South Sudan’s oil fields have historically been a target for rebel movements.
“The potential for oil wealth to exacerbate the current power struggle should not be underestimated,” said Emma Vickers of Global Witness, a London-based group that investigates and campaigns to prevent natural resource related conflict. “If rebel forces were to capture the oil fields, they could effectively hold the government to ransom.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/south-sudan-rebels-reportedly-in-control-of-oilfields/article16080357/
