Page 4 - DMEA Week 07 2020

DMEA COMMENTARY DMEA
Signs of relief in Sudan
The country’s fuel crisis appears to have eased, following the government’s efforts to address problems
SUDAN
WHAT:
Of cials in Khartoum are working to x a pipeline blockage and improve fuel distribution.
WHY:
These concrete actions are a welcome contrast to previous reports of inactivity and uncertainty.
WHAT NEXT:
The transitional regime will still have to navigate the phase-out of fuel subsidies.
AT this time last week, Sudan looked to be head- ing towards crisis.
e fuel market was in shambles, with gaso- line and diesel in desperately short supply. Driv- ers queued up for miles outside lling stations in the hope of obtaining fuel through o cial channels, and many of them turned to the black market, paying exorbitant prices to fill their tanks. e shortages sparked new protests in Khartoum and other cities, where tensions were already high because of complaints about high food prices.
Over the last week, though, Sudan’s transi- tional government has been working diligently to address the fuel shortages. It has attempted to attack the problem at its root and to make plans for improving the distribution system in order to reduce the risk of further shortages.
Root causes
Conditions on the fuel market have been wors- ening for some time, and Sudanese o cials have been slow to look for a solution.
According to press reports, supplies ran short because of a blockage in the pipeline that pumps crude oil from elds in Kordofan State to the Khartoum oil re nery. e transitional gov- ernment did manage to identify the problem, but it did not divulge much information about its plans to restore the pipe’s function again and resume deliveries to the refinery. As a result,
rumours began to circulate about the possibility that the line may have been sabotaged.
Over the weekend, though, Sudan’s Minis-
try of Energy and Mining took steps to reverse
course, adopting a more active approach towards
repairs. Local press agencies gave much of the
credit for the turnaround to Hamid Suleiman
Hamid, the undersecretary of the ministry. ey
reported that he made a visit to the site where the
pipeline had been blocked and remained in the Pull quote to go eld along with the teams of engineers and tech-
nicians working to nd a solution. ( ey also
highlighted the fact that he had been promoted
to his post by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok
last October, a er being demoted and criticised
by the previous regime for his insistence on
reporting regulatory violations.) here Pull quote
In contrast to previous events, Hamid also kept journalists informed about the nature of the problem. He told the press that the blockage appeared to have occurred because the crude loaded into the pipeline was too viscous and had not been properly blended with naphtha and the other chemicals necessary to keep it owing freely through the link.
e undersecretary also acknowledged the rumours of sabotage but did not dwell on them. According to SudaNow, he said that the ministry was looking into reports of irregularities at some of the wells that load oil into the pipeline but did not dwell on conspiracy theories.
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w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 07 20•February•2020