1978 Large oil fields are discovered, first in the Upper Nile and southern Kordofan regions and then throughout the south. Tensions between north and south are stoked by the oil discoveries, with Khartoum attempting to redraw boundaries to transfer oilfields to the north. When this fails, Khartoum begins taking the territory by force. This image shows the Thar Jath oil field in south central Sudan.

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