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| Before independence, South Sudan produced as much as 85% of Sudanese oil output. Under the CPA, the south and north are supposed to split revenues 50/50 |
All the roads on the approach to central Juba have been cordoned off. Heavily armed military personnel and police line the roads and prevent cars, motorbikes and pedestrians from completing their journeys. Frustrated and hot, many people who didn’t make the journey to work early enough are forced to return home. Others, mindful of short-tempered officials, try to edge their way forward, eager to catch a glimpse of the action ahead. Heightened security signals the arrival of Omar Bashir to town. This is the first time the president of Sudan has visited his neighbour in the south since independence on July 9 2011. In January 2012, South Sudan stopped transporting oil via Sudan as political tensions and a heated dispute over export fees escalated.
Lengthy negotiations between Khartoum and Juba got the oil flowing again on April 6, with the first shipments to be made in early May. Bashir’s visit indicates new overtures between the traditional adversaries.