Sudan's paramilitary RSF seizes strategic Heglig oilfield

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has taken control of Sudan’s strategic Heglig oilfield in South Kordofan province, a critical site for both Sudanese and South Sudanese oil exports.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) later confirmed a withdrawal from the area, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Youssef Alian, head of the RSF-affiliated “civil administration” in the region, said in a statement that the takeover was coordinated under his leadership.

“I helped prepare a special, qualified and trained force … to secure the Heglig field and protect oil installations from any acts of sabotage or threats that may affect their safety,” Alian said.

The Heglig field is Sudan’s largest and serves as the main processing facility for South Sudan’s oil exports. An unnamed engineer told AFP that SAF personnel and oilfield workers were evacuated to South Sudan, and that “the processing plant near the field through which South Sudanese oil passes was also shut down.”

The RSF, engaged in a two-and-a-half-year conflict with the SAF, has been expanding eastwards and southwards from Darfur, which it fully controls. Analysts say the eastward push into Kordofan could provide the RSF with a potential route toward Khartoum and access to key economic resources, including gold and oil.

“The liberation of the Heglig oil region is a pivotal point in the liberation of the entire homeland,” the RSF said in a statement.

Sudan’s civil war, ongoing since April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people. Humanitarian needs remain acute, with some 30 million people reportedly requiring aid, according to the United Nations.

Fierce fighting has also erupted in West Kordofan, including the town of Babnusa, seen as a gateway to Darfur. In August, drone strikes temporarily forced authorities to suspend operations at Heglig, underscoring the ongoing risks to Sudan’s vital energy infrastructure.

By Aghakazim Guliyev