South Sudan's oil suitors still skeptical over security

Major investments in the civil-war ravaged country are likely to depend on the success of a recently signed peace deal

An agreement under which South African state-controlled companies could invest as much as $1bn in South Sudanese energy projects, including a refinery, is welcome news for the ailing oil sector whose output has been severely curtailed by civil war. However, there is no guarantee the projects will materialise or that the South Sudanese government can meet its own ambitious target of boosting oil production back towards historic highs of around 350,000 bl/d by the early 2020s from some 150,000 bl/d in recent months. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by South Sudanese energy minister Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth and his South African counterpart Jeff Radebe during an energy conference i