Sudan on Sunday announced resumption of South Sudan's oil pumping for the first time since the eruption of the civil war in December 2013.

"South Sudan's oil pumping began on Saturday for the first time since its stoppage in 2013," Sudan's Oil and Gas Minister Azhari Abdul-Ghadir told a press conference.

"The pumping started at Toma South oil field in South Sudan with a production capacity of 20,000 barrels of crude oil per day," he noted.

He expected the production at five previously shut-down oil fields to reach 80,000 barrels per day after completion of maintenance by the end of the year.

He explained that the total oil production of South Sudan is currently set at 130,000 barrels a day, noting that it is expected to reach 210,000 barrels a day by the end of the year.

It is to be noted that South Sudan exports its oil production through Sudanese oil facilities.

South Sudan has been suffering from a civil war that caused shutting down of its oil fields, which constitute the major resource for the country.

Xinhua