Oil and Electricity… in Exchange for Surender (1)

As I see

Adil elbaz

Among the wonders: the state we built… now its drones destroy our homeland!!

As the poet said:

We assumed they meant well, but they were our swords
Planted in our backs, not in the enemy.
We secretly pledged to them, but they betrayed us openly,
As if loyalty were disgrace, and covenants defiled.
They weep for us on TV, but their horses (their drones)
Invade the land of the weak (our land), their faces masked.

1. The UAE’s Escalation of War on Sudan

It’s not surprising that the United Arab Emirates escalates its war on Sudan by targeting oil facilities in Port Sudan and the entire energy sector infrastructure. From the beginning, its militias have been working to destroy the foundations of the oil and electricity industries. Now, they intensify their aggression by striking strategic oil storage tanks in Port Sudan, attempting to annihilate everything related to energy in Sudan. This is the pinnacle of their dirty war.

2. Destruction of Key Oil Fields

The UAE, through its militias, began its campaign of destruction on October 30, 2023, starting with the Balila oil field, located about 55 km from the city of Al-Fula, the capital of West Kordofan state. This field is one of Sudan’s key producers of heavy crude oil, with reserves estimated at around 1.3 million barrels. It feeds the Khartoum refinery, which once met most of the country’s petroleum product needs. Operated in Block 6 by PetroEnergy, the attacks didn’t stop there.

They later targeted the Al-Sharif and Rawat fields in the Melut Basin, and quickly moved on to the prominent Heglig oil field, which contains 75 wells, representing most of Sudan’s confirmed oil reserves. These strategic fields contain complex processing and production networks.

As a result, the Emirati militia caused Sudan to lose about 7 million barrels of crude oil within the first few months of war. Production dropped from about 60,000 barrels per day to only 15,000 barrels. Operations in Block 4 (run by 2B) and Block 17 (run by “Sharif” company) also ceased.

Sudan’s Minister of Oil, Mohieddin Naim Mohamed Saeed, estimated the damage to the energy and oil sector at an early stage of the war to be around $5 billion.

3. Refineries, Pipelines, and National Infrastructure Targeted

The aggression didn’t stop at oil fields. The Emirati militia occupied the Al-Jaili refinery, looted and vandalized crude storage facilities, resulting in the loss of 210,000 barrels of crude oil. They also destroyed gasoline and gas storage, including facilities of distribution companies.

Sudan once produced about 40% of its oil needs, importing over 60% of the rest. After the secession of South Sudan in 2011, this dependency became acute.

Even oil pipelines didn’t escape destruction. Many lines were sabotaged in areas under militia control, halting the export of South Sudanese oil through Sudan and costing Sudan vital transit fees. A shipment of 600,000 barrels was canceled due to pipeline destruction, and 28,000 barrels per day were redirected from the refinery to Port Sudan. Logistics and transport links between South Sudan’s oil fields were also disrupted.

4. A Regional and International Response

The “Fikra Center for Studies and Development” condemned the RSF’s attacks on power stations as unjustified terrorist acts and violations of international law. Their report stated that the Geneva Conventions and their protocols prohibit attacks on civilian infrastructure critical to the survival of the population. The actions reflect the RSF’s utter disregard for international norms and humanitarian principles.

Neither the UAE nor its militias show any concern for international humanitarian law or justice as long as they can buy off international courts — as seen in the recent farce at the International Court of Justice.

5. The South’s Oil Dependency and a Fragile Deal

It’s known that South Sudan depends on oil for 90% of its national income. After war erupted in April 2023, oil production was affected by instability in West Kordofan and Al-Jaili. In September 2023, battles and infrastructure sabotage led to a major spill, halting southern exports.

South Sudan, nearly facing economic death, urgently contacted the U.S. and UK to pressure the UAE and its militias to stop their attacks on oil installations. This led to an emergency mediation effort involving the UN, African Union, and regional states.

By January 2024, mediation efforts led to an agreement: Sudanese parties pledged not to target or obstruct oil installations. After damage was repaired, oil flow resumed gradually, stabilizing South Sudan’s economy. Currently (2024–2025 estimates), about 110,000 to 130,000 barrels per day are exported via Sudan.

Now that the UAE and its militias have violated the January 2024 agreement and attacked Port Sudan’s oil facilities again, oil exports from the South may soon stop. What will the U.S. and its regional proxies do? Will they abandon the South — now on the brink of security collapse — to the UAE’s wrath? Or will there be a stronger response than mere verbal condemnations by the U.S. and EU?

6. Power Sector Under Siege

The assault on energy didn’t stop at oil. The UAE’s militias also targeted electricity infrastructure.

It started with an attack on the “Um Dabaker” power station in Kosti, destroying transformers and cutting power to wide areas. The attacks expanded to Merowe Dam and its substation, causing blackouts in several states: Khartoum, Gedaref, Kassala, and the Red Sea.

Other stations also hit include Merowe Power Station, Atbara, Berber, Sennar, Gedaref, and even the Sennar Dam Station. Just yesterday, fuel depots in Kosti were hit.

The Sudanese Ministry of Energy and Oil now estimates total sector losses at $20 billion, including infrastructure damage, lost crude, field sabotage, and equipment theft. Pipelines, depots, power stations, transformers, and transmission lines were all affected.

7. Why the Energy Sector?

Why is the UAE, via its militias, placing the energy sector at the center of its destruction campaign?

Is it to totally destroy Sudan by crippling its most vital industries? To hinder the regular army’s movements toward Darfur? Or is the real goal to force Sudanese surrender by destroying their sources of strength?

Or perhaps what we are witnessing is the final death dance — the UAE’s last frenzied destruction spree through its proxy militias?

To be continued