South Sudan’s minister of petroleum and mining, Stephen Dhieu Dau announced on Monday that the first batch of oil will reach the international market by the end of May, the revenue from which will be received by June or July.

 “On Saturday 6 April we have launched officially the oil resumption production in block 5A Thar Jath, Unity state,” Dau confirmed, addressing journalists at Juba airport.

He made the statement following a visit to all of the oil fields in Unity and Upper Nile states.

“We will be starting marketing the crude in May, at the end of May and the money will be realized or collected at the end of June or first of July,” Dau stated before adding that only 50% would be reactivated immediately.

“Fifty percent may be ready for resumption in the next few days but another fifty will need some more weeks to be brought back to the production that is in Unity state, Unity Oil field.”

Although oil is flowing from Unity state’s Thar Jath field, it will only currently produce 10,000 barrels per day because production was hampered by the previous delay.

However, the minister described the resumption of oil production through neighboring Sudan as a sign of peace between the two nations and told journalists that revenue would be used for delivering basic services.

Last year, President Salva Kiir issued a letter to 75 senior government officials requesting that they return billions of dollars in misspent revenue.

Photo: Stephen Dhieu Dau (Radio Tamazuj)