JUBA // With Southern Sudan mere months away from declaring independence, leaders of the territory already are making clear that they are considering changes to the way the oil business is conducted in Sudan.
An official in the south's ruling party said last month that if future oil discoveries made in the south were significant enough, the south would consider building pipelines to other destinations aside from Port Sudan in northern Sudan - the route that the south now uses to export its oil.
Oil output and revenue figures have long been disputed in Sudan, but it is estimated that the south accounts for somewhere between 75 and 80 per cent of Sudan's 500,000 barrels per day.
Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the south's Sudan People's Liberation Movement and a minister in the southern government, said: "If there are more oil finds that will justify building new pipelines, then those will be built.
"Southern Sudan is emerging as a landlocked country and it will develop different alternative routes to access the seas," Mr Amum said, adding that the south would be looking to work with neighbouring Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo to reach the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
These comments came after Mr Amum declared the south's stance in wealth-sharing negotiations between north and south.
"The notion of sharing wealth will not be there. There is no continuation, whether 50 per cent or anything," he said, referring to the current arrangement established in 2005 when the north and south ended more than two decades of civil war. The present set-up is a 50-50 share of the country's revenues, with southern oil flowing through northern-owned pipelines.
In the immediate post-independence period, however, Mr Amum conceded that there was no alternative to using the northern route.
"Southern Sudan will continue to export its oil through Port Sudan through the pipeline in Khartoum," he said.
For its part, the Khartoum government is working to increase its own oil production. On Wednesday in Khartoum, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir instructed his oil minister to explore more aggressively for oil in the north. The minister announced this week that exploration was already underway in four blocks in northern Sudan.
Talks continue between north and south to determine how they will interact in the future. An African Union panel, led by the former South African president Thabo Mbeki, is providing support to the mediation. Mr Amum also said last month that a range of issues, including demarcation of the 2,100 kilometre contested north-south border, were being discussed as a package.
The first serious negotiations since the south's independence vote kicked off on Tuesday in Ethiopia. The agenda addresses some of the most critical topics facing the region, including the division of Sudan's debts and assets. Although the south's ruling party seems united in its stance on oil issues, it remains to be seen if the north's National Congress Party will accept the south's proposed arrangement.
Insiders to the negotiations say that this round of talks will be vital to determining how the political dynamics between Khartoum and Juba have or have not changed since the south's independence vote.
The European Coalition on Oil in Sudan, a collection of advocacy groups working on oil transparency issues in Sudan, issued a statement in advance of the talks arguing that the "shared dependency between North and South Sudan requires new forms of co-operation".
The coalition urged leaders from both regions to agree to a "straightforward fee-for-service model", which is similar to the pipeline rental arrangement referred to by Mr Amum in February.
The south is expected to declare independence on July 9. The Sudanese president Omar al Bashir has accepted the results, suggesting that peaceful relations could be possible.
mfick@thenational.ae
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Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
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Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Racecard
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'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
