Rebels in South Sudan want foreign oil firms to leave the Upper Nile region immediately.
On Tuesday evening, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in opposition and allied groups under former Vice President Riek Machar said the firms should leave the Upper Nile region immediately.
This is after they said that they have captured a refinery near major oil field in Upper Nile state.
However the government has not responded to the reports.
“In response to the government’s full scale offensive on our positions in the three states of greater Upper Nile region, we have decided to take control of the oilfields and … (prevent) Salva Kiir from using the oil revenues to perpetuate the war,” James Gatdet Dak, the rebels’ spokesman said.
“SPLM/SPLA leadership has asked all oil companies operating in Upper Nile state to shut down their operations and evacuate their staff immediately. We also ask them to do the process of closing down in a safe manner that will not damage the oil facilities and cause environmental damage.”
Oil firms in South Sudan include China National Petroleum Corp, India’s ONGC Videsh and Malaysia’s Petronas.
Forces loyal to Kiir and rebels allied with his former deputy, Riek Machar, have been fighting for nearly 18 months in the world’s newest state, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
SPLA-in-Opposition spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, said that the rebels were still fighting government troops in the area that is home to South Sudan’s biggest oilfield – Paloch.
Forces loyal to Kiir and rebels allied with his former deputy, Riek Machar, have been fighting for nearly 18 months in the world’s newest state, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
Several ceasefires have been reached and broken and each side accuses the other of violating one announced in February.
