Southern Sudan Backs Lifting of U.S. Sanctions on Sudan Oil

Southern Sudan’s government wants the U.S. to lift sanctions on Sudanese oil, said Riek Machar, the region’s vice president.

While U.S. economic sanctions imposed against Sudan in 1997 won’t apply to Southern Sudan after its independence on July 9, they will cover any parts of the southern economy, including oil, that benefit the north, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in an April 12 statement.