Destroying the spoils of war in South Sudan

Thousands of deaths from South Sudan’s conflict may sadly not be enough to motivate opposing sides to reach a ceasefire agreement at peace talks currently underway in Addis Ababa. But severe damage to the young country’s oil industry from a possible drawn-out civil war, and the loss of billions of dollars in future revenues, may get their attention. If the fighting continues, the opportunity for Sudan’s political elite to use oil as a tool for development, or for more unscrupulous practices of personal enrichment, may not exist much longer.

Luke Patey writes for African Arguments on the role of oil in South Sudan’s conflict. Read the rest of the article here

He will be speaking at a Royal African Society event on January 21st in London to launch his new book, The New Kings of Crude: China, India, and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan

Follow Luke Patey on Twitter for updates on the conflict in South Sudan @LukePatey.