Sudan’s oil minister said Saturday protesters blocked two key oil pipelines in Port Sudan, the main seaport on the Red Sea, over a peace deal with rebel groups.<\/P>
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Warning of “an extremely grave situation”, Oil Minister Gadein Ali Obeid told AFP one pipeline transports oil exports from South Sudan while the other provide Sudan with crude imports.<\/P>
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“Entrances and exits at the port’s exports terminal have been completely shuttered” since early Saturday, he said.<\/P>
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Last year, several rebel groups signed a landmark accord with Sudan’s transitional government which came to power shortly after the April 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir.<\/P>
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Beja tribes people in Sudan’s impoverished east where Port Sudan is located have criticised the fragile peace deal saying it does not represent them.<\/P>
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Port Sudan is the country’s main seaport and a vital trade hub for its crippled economy dependent on exports.<\/P>
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The Khartoum government receives around $25 for every barrel of oil sold from South Sudan, according to official figures.<\/P>
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South Sudan produces around 162,000 barrels a day. It is transported via pipelines to Port Sudan and then shipped to global markets.<\/P>
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Protests against the October 2020 deal have rocked east Sudan since last week.<\/P>
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On September 17, demonstrators impeded access to the docks at Port Sudan.<\/P>
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At the time, protest leader Sayed Abuamnah told AFP demonstrators had also blocked “the main container and oil export terminals”.<\/P>
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On Friday, demonstrators blocked the entrance to the airport and a bridge linking Kassala State in the east with the rest of the country.<\/P>
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The unrest comes as Sudan grapples with deep economic woes left in the wake of Bashir’s ouster, whose three-decade iron-fisted rule was marked by prolonged US sanctions.<\/P>
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The demonstrations also come a week after the administration of embattled Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said it had thwarted a failed coup attempt. –<\/P>
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Source: National News Agency<\/P>
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