Olien er den nye nations livsnerve – men styret i Khartoum vil ikke slippe grebet
Sudan has blocked an oil shipment from the new state of South Sudan, accusing it of failing to pay customs duties, BBC online reports Friday.
The oil was being held at the northern export hub of Port Sudan. South Sudan has to export oil via the north because it has no port or refineries of its own.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since South Sudan became independent on 9 July, analysts say.
Khartoum’s foreign ministry spokesman, Al-Obeid Meruh, said 600.000 barrels of oil was being held. He said South Sudan had failed to pay the north for the use of its pipeline, refinery and port.
– When the ship leaves the port, the South has to pay the customs authorities. This is the first time they did not pay, Mr Meruh told the AFP news agency.
In June, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir warned that pipelines carrying South Sudan’s oil would be shut if a deal over payments was not reached.
Khartoum has been demanding 32 US dollar a barrel, but the South was pushing for a lower fee.
