Oil and Gas News from OilGasDaily.Com  
OIL AND GAS
South Sudan's warring leaders to meet for talks in Ethiopia
By Chris Stein
Addis Ababa (AFP) June 19, 2018

War-ravaged South Sudan at a glance
Juba (AFP) June 19, 2018 - South Sudan, the world's newest country, has been mired in a devastating civil war for more than four years, with tens of thousands of people killed, nearly four million displaced and its economy in ruins.

War broke when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup just two years after the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.

With the two men to meet on Wednesday in the latest international effort to stop the fighting, here is some background.

- World's youngest state -

Before independence, the south of Sudan was ravaged by two civil wars (1956-1972 and 1983-2005) that pitted mainly Christian and animist insurgents in the south against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government.

Millions died in the conflicts.

A peace accord signed in 2005 by the government and southern rebels exempted the south from Islamic Sharia law and granted it six years of self-rule ahead of a referendum on independence.

The 2011 referendum went nearly 99 percent in favour of secession from the north and on July 9 that year, South Sudan proclaimed its independence. Kiir was sworn in as the country's first president with Machar as his deputy.

The international community -- led by the United States, China, Russia and the European Union, as well as Sudan -- quickly recognised the new African state.

- Former allies turn enemies -

Kiir and Machar were on the same side in the push for independence from Khartoum, but were separated by ethnic and political rivalries.

Tensions spiked when Machar -- from the country's second-largest ethnic group, the Nuer -- was fired as vice president in 2013.

His sacking came after Kiir, from the majority Dinka people, accused him of a failed coup. Machar rejected the charge, in turn accusing the president of purging political rivals.

- Civil war erupts -

By December 2013 the new country had descended into civil war, including fighting within the national army, undermined by differences fuelled by the rivalry between Kiir and Machar.

The conflict spread to several states and was characterised by ethnic massacres, attacks on civilians, widespread rape, the recruitment of child soldiers and other forms of brutality and human rights violations.

A 2015 peace deal saw Machar reinstalled as vice president and return to the capital, but fighting broke out in the capital Juba in July 2016, and Machar and his forces fled.

In February 2018 the United Nations said there was sufficient evidence to charge at least 41 South Sudanese senior officers and officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

- Economy ruined -

Following more than four years of civil war, the Juba government is broke and hyperinflation -- which peaked at around 500 percent in 2016, decelerating to 155 percent in 2017 -- has sent prices soaring. The South Sudanese pound has collapsed.

Oil production -- from which South Sudan gained 98 percent of its revenues on its independence -- has plummeted to about 120,000 barrels a day from a peak of 350,000, according to the World Bank.

Juba, which inherited three-quarters of the former Sudan's oil reserves during independence, depends on its northern neighbour's oil infrastructure -- refineries and pipelines -- for its exports.

The conflict has also heavily disrupted agriculture, sparking a major food crisis. In 2017 South Sudan went through four months of famine, which affected around 100,000 people.

Seven million South Sudanese, more than half of the population, will need food aid in 2018, according to the UN.

Nearly two years after fleeing South Sudan's capital amid deadly fighting, rebel leader Riek Machar will meet face-to-face on Wednesday with the country's president, Salva Kiir.

The rendezvous in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa represents the latest international effort to end more than four years of civil war in the world's youngest nation.

Tens of thousands have been killed and millions have been driven out of their homes and into starvation.

Kiir and Machar will meet at the invitation of Ethiopia's prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, who also chairs the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional bloc that has taken the lead in thus-far fruitless peace negotiations.

Abiy "will call upon the two leaders to narrow their gap and work for the pacification of South Sudan and relieve the burden of death and uprooting of South Sudanese people," said Meles Alem, a spokesman for Ethiopia's foreign ministry.

Kiir's attendance was confirmed by South Sudan's ambassador to Ethiopia, James Pitia Morgan.

Manasseh Zindo, a senior official in Machar's Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in Opposition rebel group, said Machar would attend.

IGAD first proposed the meeting last month after the most recent unsuccessful round of peace talks.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir suggested hosting the two foes in Khartoum, an offer Machar rejected, while Kiir's government said it would prefer to have the meeting outside the region altogether.

- Failed peace -

The two men have been central to the fate of South Sudan since its 2011 separation from the north.

The country descended into civil war in 2013 after Kiir accused Machar, his former deputy, of plotting a coup against him.

They have not met since July 2016, when heavy fighting in the capital, Juba, signalled the collapse of a 2015 peace deal forcing Machar to flee to South Africa.

The renewed violence spread across the country, spawning numerous new armed opposition groups and further complicating peace efforts.

Efforts to revitalise the 2015 agreement resulted in a ceasefire in December which lasted just hours before warring parties accused each other of breaking it.

Tens of thousands have died and nearly four million South Sudanese have been driven from their homes by the conflict which the United Nations ranks among the most serious humanitarian crises in the world.

Forty-eight percent of the population are experiencing extreme hunger and seven million will need aid this year, according to the UN.

International patience with the conflict has worn thin. Last month, the UN Security Council gave the two warring sides a month to reach a peace deal or face sanctions.

The United States has also grown increasingly frustrated with Kiir's government.

Washington was a critical backer of South Sudan during its separation from Sudan, and remains Juba's biggest aid donor.

A top American official earlier this month threatened parties on both sides of the conflict with sanctions after a report from US foundation The Sentry said South Sudanese elites were profiting from human rights abuses.

Despite the pressure, observers say Kiir has little incentive to make concessions to his rivals.

His soldiers are winning militarily, while the opposition is more fractured than ever before.


Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


OIL AND GAS
Iran may have to wait for OPEC considerations
Washington (UPI) Jun 19, 2018
Considerations at OPEC for the loss of Iranian barrels to unilateral U.S. sanctions might have to wait until the fourth quarter, an Oxford analysis read. The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies published its case study on the Friday meeting for members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. OPEC is halfway through the second year of an effort to drain the surplus in crude oil inventories held by the world's leading industrialized economies through coordinated production cu ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

OIL AND GAS
Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes

Critical plant gene takes unexpected detour that could boost biofuel yields

'Tricking' bacteria into hydroxylating benzene

How to suck carbon dioxide from the sky for fuels and more

OIL AND GAS
Solar FlexRack completes shipments to 71 MW solar project in North Carolina

Wartsila leading along the path towards a 100% renewable energy future

German utility makes solar debut in Texas

Solar cells combining silicon with perovskite push achieve record efficiency over 25 percent

OIL AND GAS
New wind turbines are even efficient in low winds

Cryptocurrency blowing in the wind as mine opens in Estonia

U.S. Atlantic states eye offshore wind leadership

European wind energy generation potential in a warmer world

OIL AND GAS
Creating a new composite fuel for new-generation fast reactors

Nuclear power shutdowns won't spike power prices

Seawater yields first grams of yellowcake

Framatome and the EPR reactor: a robust history and the passion it takes to succeed

OIL AND GAS
S.Africa lifts state of disaster over drought

Can any civilization make it through climate change?

Germany admits will fall far short of 2020 climate target

Global warming can be limited by changing how we travel, heat homes, use devices

OIL AND GAS
Audi boss arrested in diesel probe

Fleet of autonomous boats could service cities to reduce road traffic

MIT study helps driverless cars change lanes more like humans do

Germany hits Mercedes with mass diesel recall

OIL AND GAS
Toy guns banished as Iraqis celebrate peaceful Eid in Mosul

Iran pushes Sadr alliance in Iraq to maintain clout

Ex-miss Iraq calls for peace on Israel visit after selfie scandal

In Iraq's Mosul, women desperate for news of 'disappeared'

OIL AND GAS
Invest in North Korea: money pit or golden opportunity?

When it comes to North Korea, no one puts Beijing in a corner

Trump boasts North Korea stand-off 'largely solved'

Israel ministry report shows concern over Trump's N.Korea summit









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.