Khartoum, Oct 21 (IANS) Sudan and South Sudan stressed the need to address the obstacles facing the resumption of South Sudan's oil exports via the Sudanese territory.

This came after Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and General Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met on Sunday with South Sudan's Presidential Advisor on National Security Tut Gatluak in Port Sudan, the capital city of the Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.

"All technical teams in the two countries are ready to increase production and ensure the flow of oil through the Sudanese port of Bashayer," Gatluak said in a statement, highlighting South Sudan's readiness to implement what was agreed upon with the Sudanese government.

A meeting between the two countries' ministries of energy and petroleum is expected in this regard, Gatluak said, noting that "oil is a lifeline for the people of both countries."

In March, the Sudanese government announced the suspension of South Sudan's oil exports through Sudanese territories due to a fault in the transportation lines.

According to the Sudanese authorities, the fault was a result of a blockage in an underground pipeline, situated in the north of Sudan's White Nile State, an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The meeting followed a previous one in early June.

Oil exports constitute the main source of South Sudan's national revenue, and the country heavily depends on Sudan, its northern neighbour, to transport oil to international markets.

Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project on October 14, the deadly conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.

--IANS

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