View of an oil field in South Sudan. US has sanctioned 15 South Sudanese
oil-linked operators with substantial sources of revenues for the
government. FILE PHOTO | NMG
The United States on Wednesday placed sanctions on 15 South
Sudanese oil-linked operators it said were substantial sources of
revenues for the government, aimed at increasing pressure on President
Salva Kiir to end the country’s conflict.
“By placing
these entities on the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List, the
United States will impose a license requirement on all exports,
re-exports, and transfers of any US-origin items to those entities,” the
State Department said in a statement.
Those on the
list include government, state-linked and private groups in South Sudan
that “are involved in activities that are contrary to the foreign policy
interests of the United States,” according to a related Department of
Commerce document published on Wednesday.
Washington
has already placed sanctions on South Sudanese military and political
figures, and in January imposed an arms embargo to halt the flow of
weapons into the country, signalling that it had lost patience with
South Sudan’s warring factions for ignoring ceasefires.
Last
year, the South Sudanese government said it planned to more than double
oil production to 290,000 barrels per day (bpd) in fiscal 2017/2018.
As
well as 13 firms, the Commerce Department placed the South Sudan
Ministry of Mining and the South Sudan Ministry of Petroleum on its
list.
South Sudan has been wrecked by civil war since 2013, when
troops loyal to Kiir clashed with troops loyal to then-Vice President
Riek Machar.
Since then, the conflict has claimed tens
of thousands of lives, slashed oil production and driven about a third
of the population of 12 million from their homes.
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