Addis Ababa: Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to restart oil production within two weeks, an official of South Sudan said on Tuesday.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the deal, which could see oil flow from South Sudan through its northern neighbour’s pipelines after a 14-month hiatus, was reached overnight after four days of negotiations in Addis Ababa.
A mediator of the AU, which brokered the talks, was quoted as saying by the broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The oil flow, essential for both countries’ economies, was shut down by South Sudan in January 2012 over a transit fees disagreement.
The agreement to reopen the taps was originally signed by their respective presidents in September, but with no timeline.
South Sudan has most of the oil reserves, but it depends on the north’s shipment infrastructure.