South Sudanese civil war costs the economy $28 billion if it continues reports says

Jan 14, 2015-Khartoum-SudaneseOnline-Frontier Economics revealed on Tuesday that the civil war in South Sudan may cost the economy as much as $28 billion if it continues for the next five years, while neighboring countries face even bigger losses unless the conflict is stopped,
Restoring peace in the oil-producing East African nation would save the international community about $30 billion by reducing expenditure on peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance, the London-based group said in a report published today. Foreign nations, particularly donors from western countries, have already spent as much as $1.8 billion fighting a famine and sponsoring unsuccessful peace talks in South Sudan, according to the United Nations.
“The costs are equally severe for neighboring countries,” it said. If action is taken to ensure peace this year, the economies of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda could collectively save $53 billion, according to the 30-page report, titled “South Sudan: The Cost of War.”
Fighting erupted in South Sudan in December 2013 after a power struggle in the ruling party. Army commanders rebelled in three states when President Salva Kiir arrested rivals for allegedly plotting a coup. At least 10,000 people have died in the fighting, while almost 2 million others have fled their homes.
Crude oil production, which generates more than 90 percent of South Sudan government revenue, has fallen by at least a third to about 160,000 barrels per day as the army has battled rebels in two oil-producing states. The country earned $1.7 billion from oil sales in 2014, Petroleum Minister Stephen Dhieu Dau said on Jan. 1.

Arabic Forum