Sudan Events – Rehab Abdullah
A well-informed source at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum revealed that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a drone strike on Heglig Airport on Friday, causing panic among employees managing the oil facilities. Other sources reported two additional drone attacks on Heglig oil field over the past week.
Fadhl Mahmoud, Acting Undersecretary of the Sudanese Ministry of Energy, notified his South Sudanese counterpart that oil flows could be disrupted due to security threats. Companies were instructed to activate emergency shutdown procedures and evacuate employees from Heglig. Due to the attacks, staffing was reduced to a minimum, potentially preventing Petrolines Company from meeting its production schedule, and continued operations under ongoing attacks could render the facilities inoperable long-term.
The attacks pose a serious threat to stable oil flows from South Sudan, which relies on Sudanese pipelines managed by Petrolines and Bashaer for export via Port Sudan. Both companies have threatened suspension of operations if attacks persist.
Sudanese Ambassador to South Sudan, Issam Al-Din Mohamed Hassan Karrar, warned that RSF attacks on oil infrastructure threaten both countries’ stability, highlighting South Sudan’s reliance on Sudan to export oil via Port Sudan. Recent attacks near the Heglig border region killed one civilian and raised fears of potential disruption in oil exports.
