Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol. |Courtesy.

The Minister of Petroleum appeals to the Sudanese government and conflicting sides to protect oil infrastructures such as pipelines from destruction, for the best benefit of the two countries.

Streets battles continued in Khartoum on Friday despite the army’s declaration of a three-day truce with the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to enable people to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

Puot Kang Chol says he is very concerned about the fighting which is escalating to different parts of Sudan including the Red Sea Port where South Sudan’s crude oil is shipped to the international market.

In an interview with a BBC program last evening, Kang appeals to the warring parties to protect oil assets to avoid economic consequences for the two countries.

“We are requesting, we pray that the Sudanese authorities, as well as the warring parties, will be able to protect the oil infrastructures wherever they are,” he said.

South Sudan – a landlocked country, relies on Sudan to pump around 144,000 barrels-per-day of its crude oil export to the international market through the Red Sea.

Sudan also receives transit fees from South Sudan – in addition to its 70,000 b/d oil export.

“I am very concerned, and the people of South Sudan are concerned because our budget defends so much on oil by more than 90 percent,” Kang added.

“This means we have the responsibility to talk to our brothers in Sudan to say let us protect the facilities or let us bring this war to an end so that the two economies do not suffer as a result of the war in Khartoum.”

More than 400 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting erupted last Saturday.

Foreign governments including European countries, Japan, and the US are considering options to evacuate their citizens but the airport in Khartoum is still unsafe.

Last week, the Undersecretary of the Petroleum Ministry Awow Daniel Chuang said South Sudan’s crude exports have not been affected by the ongoing fighting in neighboring Sudan.