Sudan announces complete resumption of oil pumping from Heglig fields

Sudan's oil minister Awad Ahmed Al- Jaz on Wednesday announced complete resumption of oil pumping from Heglig oil fields which were damaged during recent clashes between Sudan and South Sudan armies.

"Now all oil fields at Heglig have returned to operate. We have managed to repair the fields after the organized damage caused to the main establishments, including electricity stations and central processing units," said Al-Jaz at a press conference in Khartoum Wednesday.

"Great damaged has been caused to the oil fields where the saboteurs have targeted the main entries to the fields, the control units and the facilities through which the oil is pumped. We have managed to completely repair all the fields and the pumping operation has fully started."

The Sudanese oil ministry has embarked on setting up necessary arrangements to resume oil pumping from Heglig area which has recently witnessed armed clashes between Sudan and South Sudan armies.

After the Sudanese army restored Heglig from South Sudan's army, the ministry sent a technical team to the area to evaluate the damage that has been caused to oil fields.

The ministry earlier said Sudan lost 30 percent of its oil production because of the clashes between Sudan and South Sudan at Heglig area.

On April 10, South Sudan army controlled Heglig area, which heightened the tension between Khartoum and Juba and prompted world-wide condemnation.

However, the Sudanese army on April 20 managed to restore Heglig, which includes Sudan's biggest oil fields, after bloody confrontations with South Sudan's army.

Sudanese officials said that South Sudan's fighters have exercised deliberate sabotage and set fire to oil infrastructures in Heglig.