Oil attack “repulsed”

Official military spokesman General Mohamed Osman Yassin said the government had driven back a rebel attack on oil fields near Bentui, Upper Nile. He told news agencies that there had been “some loss of life” of government troops, but said oil production and exploration continued. Yassin denied that the oil fields had been destroyed, and said the attack took place outside the production area. According to the military spokesman, civilians fled the from the SPLA attack, which took place on Friday.

Meanwhile, the government said on Thursday 25 January that production of oil would increase to 400,000 barrels per day in the year 2005, compared to the current production of 200,000 barrels daily. The secretary-general of the Ministry of Energy and Mining, Hasan Ali al-Tawm also said there were indications that more oil fields existed, including Al-Mijlad basin, western Sudan - which extends to 1200 km in length and 300 km in width - as well as Malut basin between Barah, western Sudan, and Adariel, southwestern Sudan. He also mentioned the area between Khartoum and Ad Dindar, central Sudan, the Red Sea area, northeastern Sudan, and northwestern Kordofan areas in western Sudan. He made the remarks in a lecture at the University of Khartoum, which were carried by the official Sudanese news agency Suna.