South Sudan and Sudan have made progress towards restarting the pumping of South Sudan's crude oil through a pipeline running to a port in its neighbour, South Sudan's finance minister and the president's office said.

Despite its vast reserves, a South Sudan civil war and later regional conflict have severely impacted crude oil production in recent years.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has agreed with the de facto leader of Sudan, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, that vital oil exports from the landlocked country could resume through its northern neighbour. Sudan’s 17-month civil war has disrupted South Sudan’s oil industry, which the country’s economy relies on.

"Engineers from South Sudan are expected to visit Sudan in the coming weeks to familiarize themselves with the readiness of the facilities so as to jump-start production," South Sudan's Foreign Minister Ramadan Goc said. South Sudan exported 150,000 barrels of crude oil daily through Sudan after recaching independence from Khartoum in 2011.