Post: #1
Title: South Sudanese civil war costs the economy $28 billion if it continues reports says
Author: SudaneseOnline News
Date: 01-14-2015, 06:22 PM
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.
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