IMF, South Sudan in Pact for Emergency Funds of $112.7 Mln

Sacs of corn are loaded onto trucks in the Sudanese Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as part of the US support for Sudan in the field of humanitarian aid, on November 20, 2022. (AFP)
Sacs of corn are loaded onto trucks in the Sudanese Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as part of the US support for Sudan in the field of humanitarian aid, on November 20, 2022. (AFP)
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IMF, South Sudan in Pact for Emergency Funds of $112.7 Mln

Sacs of corn are loaded onto trucks in the Sudanese Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as part of the US support for Sudan in the field of humanitarian aid, on November 20, 2022. (AFP)
Sacs of corn are loaded onto trucks in the Sudanese Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as part of the US support for Sudan in the field of humanitarian aid, on November 20, 2022. (AFP)

The International Monetary Fund and South Sudan have reached a staff-level agreement for the release of about $112.7 million in emergency financing, the fund said on Tuesday. 

"This emergency financing under the new Food Shock Window will help South Sudan address food insecurity, support social spending, and boost international reserves," the IMF said in a statement. 

The IMF's executive board will approve the financing in coming weeks, the fund said. 

In early-November, United Nations agencies said up to 7.8 million people in South Sudan, two-third of the population, may face severe food shortages during next year's April-to-July lean season due to floods, drought and conflict. 

On Tuesday, the IMF put the number of people experiencing severe food insecurity at an estimated 8.3 million. 

"The combination of continued localized conflict, four consecutive years of severe flooding, and the rising price of staple commodities from Russia's war in Ukraine has increased the number of people experiencing severe food insecurity," it said. 

South Sudan erupted into civil war shortly after getting independence from Sudan in 2011 and while a peace agreement signed four years ago is largely holding, the transitional government has been slow to unify various military factions. 



Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
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Oil Edges Up on Strong US GDP Data

A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Oil prices were up slightly on Friday on stronger-than-expected US economic data that raised investor expectations for increasing crude oil demand from the world's largest energy consumer.

But concerns about soft economic conditions in Asia's biggest economies, China and Japan, capped gains.

Brent crude futures for September rose 7 cents to $82.44 a barrel by 0014 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude for September increased 4 cents to $78.32 per barrel, Reuters reported.

In the second quarter, the US economy grew at a faster-than-expected annualised rate of 2.8% as consumers spent more and businesses increased investments, Commerce Department data showed. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted US gross domestic product would grow by 2.0% over the period.

At the same time, inflation pressures eased, which kept intact expectations that the Federal Reserve would move forward with a September interest rate cut. Lower interest rates tend to boost economic activity, which can spur oil demand.

Still, continued signs of trouble in parts of Asia limited oil price gains.

Core consumer prices in Japan's capital were up 2.2% in July from a year earlier, data showed on Friday, raising market expectations of an interest rate hike in the near term.

But an index that strips away energy costs, seen as a better gauge of underlying price trends, rose at the slowest annual pace in nearly two years, suggesting that price hikes are moderating due to soft consumption.

China, the world's biggest crude importer, surprised markets for a second time this week by conducting an unscheduled lending operation on Thursday at steeply lower rates, suggesting authorities are trying to provide heavier monetary stimulus to prop up the economy.