South Sudanese rebels capture oilfields in Unity state: spokesperson

June 5, 2015 (ADDIS ABABA) – South Sudanese rebels led by former vice president, Riek Machar, said their forces have taken full control of the main oilfields in Unity state on Friday after capturing the remaining Unity oilfields in the country’s second oil producing state.

A worker at the power plant of an oil processing facility in South Sudan’s Unity state on 22 April 2012 (Photo: Reuters)

Rebels spokesperson said the oilfields fell under their control after defeating government troops in a three-day battle over the control of the strategic resource area.

“On Friday morning our forces from Division 4 took full control of the whole Unity oilfields in the oil-producing Lich (Unity) state. This is after defeating government forces over the control of the oilfields, north of the state capital, Bentiu,” rebel leader’s spokesman, James Gatdet Dak, announced on Friday in a statement to the press.

“In response to the government’s ongoing full scale offensive against our positions, all the oilfields in South Sudan are our targets with the aim to capture and shut down their operations,” he said.

He accused president Salva Kiir’s government of allegedly using the oil revenues to buy more “arms and hire mercenaries” in order to perpetuate the war in defence of “tyranny” at the expense of the suffering people of South Sudan.

Last year, the rebels captured Tharjiath oilfield, south of the state capital, Bentiu, and controlled some of the Unity oilfields, forcing them to temporarily shut down and reducing the oil production in the country by at least 40% from 265,000 barrels a day to 165,000 barrels per a day.

Unity oilfields has 126 wells and was being operated by the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).

Unity and Upper Nile states are the only two states in the three-year old country that produce oil. South Sudan also depends on the oil revenues from these two states by 98% of its overall budget.

Situated in Rubkotni county north of Bentiu, near Pariang county, government planned to resume oil production in the area to boost its dwindling revenues and inject in more hard currency as the dollar exchange against the local South Sudanese pounds has been skyrocketing, further magnifying a near collapse of the country’s economy.

Dak further said after now capturing and shutting down production operations of all the oilfields in Unity state their next targets would be Adar and Paloch oilfields in the neighboring Upper Nile state.

“We have now thwarted the government’s attempt to maintain control of the Unity oilfields in order to resume oil production in the state,” he said.

“Our next targets are Adar and Paloch oilfields in Upper Nile state. We will make sure the only two remaining oilfields cease to function as well.”

The opposition leader’s spokesman said president Kiir’s government was not for peace, accusing it of violating ceasefire agreements in belief of “imaginary” military victory.

He claimed that the defeated government troops from the oilfields were dispersed with some being pursued towards the state capital and others fleeing westwards towards Mayom near Warrap state.

(ST)