AFP: US restricts trade with South Sudanese oil firms

The United States imposed restrictions Wednesday on exports of US technical support to the South Sudanese oil industry, warning that it is fuelling the bloody civil war there.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said exporters will henceforth need a license to export, re-export or transfer US technology or equipment to 15 “South Sudanese oil-related entities.”

The names of the companies will be added to a US Commerce Department list on Thursday, but South Sudan’s oil is largely exploited though joint ventures between state-owned Nilepet and Chinese, Indian and Malaysian firms…

…Last month, an investigation by watchdog group The Sentry showed how members of South Sudan’s elite were using funds from state-owned Nilepet to “fund militias responsible for horrific acts of violence” and to enrich themselves.

The group said more than $80 million was paid to politicians, military officials, and companies owned by politicians and members of their families, for services such as military logistics to forces implicated in atrocities.

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