Sudan's Ministry of Oil and Gas on Sunday said its delegation arrived in South Sudan to prepare for resuming oil pumping.

"A delegation from the ministry and a number of oil companies arrived in South Sudan to get acquainted with arrangements to resume oil pumping," said Saad-Eddin Al-Bushra, state minister at ministry of oil and gas.

He said in a statement that the delegation held meetings with South Sudanese counterparts, adding that the delegation would visit the oil fields after completion of some security arrangements.

Last June Khartoum hosted technical talks between officials in the two countries' oil ministries relating to rehabilitation and re-operation of the stopped oil fields in South Sudan.

Additionally, the framework deal, reached by South Sudan's rivals in Khartoum on June 27 last year, included an item stipulating involvement of Sudan government in protection of the oil fields after coordination with Juba government.

The civil war that broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 stopped operations of a number of the oil fields, leading to plunge of South Sudan's oil production to about 150,000 barrels per day compared with 350,000 barrels in 2011.

Xinhua