Positive development: Sudan and South Sudan oil shipment

The ongoing dispute between South Sudan and Sudan over oil has continued to be a volatile issue. Much of the oil in the region lies within landlocked South Sudan.

The only current pipeline and refineries lie in Sudan. With the independence of South Sudan, the oil sharing revenue agreement from the pre-independence era is no longer working. However, the BBC reports that some progress is being made with Sudan apparently now willing to let oil shipments resume. To read more, click here.

(photo image: BBC)

UN Aid targets South Sudan humanitarian crisis

Even as  Juba, South Sudan's capitol, overflows with new development and international attention, the  new nation continues to endure inter-tribal violence, particularly in Jonglei State. The UN is raising the alarm about the humanitarian crisis caused by Lou-Nuer and Murle fighting that has left thousands homeless and fleeing as refugees. Click here to read more.

"We are the anti-genocide paparazzi"

George Clooney's partnership with the Enough Project created The Sentinel Project, a network of private satellites which monitor Sudan and South Sudan. The work of this project continues to instrumental in helping the International Criminal Court and humanitarian organizations in collecting data that can be used to document the actions of Sudanese officials such as Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein, now sought for alleged crimes against humanity in Darfur and now southern Sudan. To learn more, click on this Time Magazine article.

Preparing for drilling, watching

Water for South Sudan (WFSS) continues preparations for the 2011-12 drilling season.  Drilling work is set to begin in a few weeks, as the rainy season ends.  WFSS President and Founder Salva Dut has been in South Sudan since August, overseeing construction of the new storage compound in Wau.  Board chair Christopher Moore joined Salva in South Sudan recently to assist in setting up the new WFSS office in Wau, and to hire a new administrative support person.

WFSS continues to watch what’s happening in Sudan and South Sudan.  Our plans for the 2011-12 drilling season continue as they have since 2005—drilling mainly in remote villages of Western Bar el Ghazal State. We continue to monitor news of conflict between Sudan and South Sudan.  WFSS crews are far from conflicted areas, including the border area of Abyei. 

WFSS strongly supports international pressure on Sudan president Omar al Bashir’s regime to recognize all the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement’s components.  Furthermore, we support efforts to bring Sudan and South Sudan together to complete negotiations on all outstanding treaty issues.

We are also watching as positive news continues to emerge from South Sudan such as news of new roads being constructed, and Agricultural Fairs, encouraging local farmers.

Here in the United States, Water for South Sudan will be represented at a December USAID sponsored forum in Washington D.C. on South Sudan which will feature a talk by that nation’s President Salva Kiir.

Demining: a continuing danger for South Sudan and its people

The Republic of South Sudan arose as a new nation after years of conflict. While that decades old civil war is over, its impact and new conflict continue to present dangerous challenges for the people of South Sudan as this IRIN article describes.