Sri Lanka, July 15 -- Sri Lanka's interest in diversifying its oil supply portfolio by exploring crude imports from South Sudan may pose serious political, logistical, and technical challenges, Sri Lanka's former Ambassador to South Sudan, Kana Kananathan warned.

Ambassador Kananathan urged Sri Lankan energy authorities to reconsider such a move, citing sanctions, unreliable supply chains, and refinery incompatibility.

"While diversification is essential for energy security, importing South Sudanese crude at this stage is neither practical nor economically viable," he stated.

Since 2018, the United States has imposed sanctions on at least 15 South Sudanese oil-related entities, including the state-owned oil firm Nilepet.

These restric...