JUBA – Oil production in South Sudan has slumped by about 15 percent since fighting erupted more than two weeks ago, industry sources said Tuesday.



South Sudan, whose economy is almost entirely dependent on oil, plunged into chaos on Dec. 15 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of mounting a coup, sparking deadly violence believed to have left thousands dead.



The young nation's two major oil-producing states are among the four areas most affected by the fighting.



In Unity State, where some oil installations were directly affected by the fighting, "production from the oil fields was completely stopped", India's ONGC Videsh Limited said on its website. ONGC Videsh is a partner in the two consortia pumping oil in Unity: the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) which normally produces some 37,000 barrels per day (bpd) from blocks 1,2 and 4, and the SUDD Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC), which normally pumps 4,600 bpd from block 5A.



That translates to a cut in output of more than 41,000 bpd to around 200,000 bpd – or a drop of 15 and 20 percent compared to production levels before the fighting. — AFP