March 19, 2017(Nyamilepedia) —— Warning foreign companies to promptly cease extracting South Sudan oil in contested regions, the anti-government forces, which control vast majority of land in Upper Nile region, Â the SPLM/A in Opposition, has detained 4 more oil engineers this morning in Palouch area of Northern Upper Nile.
The main oil field, which is the only operational oil field in the country, is no longer safe for both local and foreign oil workers in South Sudan.
This morning, March 19th, at least four employees of Dar Petroleum were detained by members of SPLA-IO at gun point who claim that their warning datelines were violated by the oil companies.
Among those who were detained today was a 26Â years old Pakistani petroleum Engineer, Ayaz Hussain Jamali, and three others local workers.
According to close friends and relatives, Ayaz and his colleagues went to oil site this morning but before realizing that they crossed into rebels held area, members of SPLA-IO in a nearby military base seized them by force and took them to their base.
An attempt by a nearby government forces to intervene was thwarted and pushed back by the rebels.
Mr. Jamali will be the third foreign engineer to have been detained this month by SPLM/A-IO rebels, after two Indian petroleum engineers were detained last week.
Ayaz has been working in South Sudan oil fields for big money with his brother Bahar Jamali, who works for Dar Petroleum as Plant Officer.
According to Bahar, who spoke to Petarian Human Rights Organization (PHRO), situation in south Sudan is getting worst due to conflict between pro Government and anti Government forces.
Ayaz Jamali graduated from Mehran University of Engineering Jamshoro in 2014 and joined Dar Petroleum in September 2014. He is a resident of Badin Sindh
According to his brother, Ayaz has already resigned from the job and he was booked to fly to Pakistan on Monday.
“This was his last day at work when he was kidnapped” Said his brother, Babar Jamali.
“We are appealing to the united nation NUO , Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ministry foreign affairs, specially Pakistan diplomat in Sudan to take up the issue on diplomatic levels with the Government of South Sudan for safe and early recovery of Ayaz Hussain Jamali” Bahar continued.
South Sudan anti-government forces, under the leadership of Dr. Riek Machar, issued warning in January this year calling on foreign oil workers to leave Palouch oil fields.
The rebels have also warned the government officials to not mislead foreigners about security situations in the oil fields of Upper Nile.
In response, officials in Juba have labelled the anti-government forces as negative forces and declared war on them.
So far no negotiations have been established to get the Indian Petroleum engineers released from SPLA-IO detention camps and Mr. Jamali is most likely to miss his flight to Pakistan tomorrow.
