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The largest oil field in Sudan, located along the southern border, was reportedly seized on Monday by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), necessitating the evacuation of its personnel, according to an engineer who works at the facility.
“This morning, the RSF took control of the field. Our technical teams shut it down and halted production, and the workers were evacuated to South Sudan,” the engineer told AFP by phone from across the border.
Since April 2023, the RSF has engaged in a conflict with the regular army, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals, the displacement of 12 million others, and the destruction of the country’s already vulnerable infrastructure.
Heglig is the largest oil field in the country and serves as the primary processing centre for South Sudan’s oil exports, which constitute nearly all of Juba’s government revenue.
The army has persistently accused the RSF of conducting drone strikes on Heglig, leading authorities to halt operations there temporarily in August.
Heglig is located in the southernmost part of Sudan’s Kordofan region, which has experienced intense fighting in recent weeks as both sides compete for control over the area.
A drone strike in South Kordofan state, attributed to the RSF, targeted a kindergarten and a hospital last week, claiming the lives of numerous civilians, including children, according to a local official and an army-aligned foreign ministry.
In October, the RSF succeeded in displacing army troops from their final position in western Darfur, forcing the military to take a defensive stance as it attempts to stop the paramilitary’s advance through Kordofan and back toward the capital, Khartoum.
Sudan has effectively been split in half, with the army controlling the north, east, and centre, while the RSF dominates the west and, with the assistance of its allies, considerable portions of the south.
