At least seven South Sudanese soldiers were killed in a drone strike by the Sudanese army at the Heglig oilfield, officials said, despite a tripartite agreement allowing South Sudan’s forces to secure the facility after its capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) earlier this week.
The RSF seized Heglig, the country’s largest oilfield, on Monday as the paramilitary group continued to make gains against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the resource-rich south.
Following the RSF takeover, South Sudan’s state television broadcast footage showing South Sudanese soldiers alongside RSF fighters in Heglig. Footage also showed Sudanese army troops crossing into South Sudanese territory after withdrawing from the oil facility.
Heglig, a small border town between Sudan’s South Kordofan state and South Sudan, hosts some of Sudan’s most important oil installations, including about 75 wells, storage tanks and processing stations.
The field processes between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels of oil per day for Sudan and South Sudan. A pipeline to Port Sudan runs through the area, meaning the loss of Heglig delivers a significant blow to the Port Sudan-based government’s remaining revenue stream, including fees from the transit of South Sudanese oil.
Heglig is a crucial stop on the 1,600-kilometer Greater Nile Oil Pipeline, which carries crude from South Sudan’s Unity oilfield to Port Sudan for export.
Santo Domic, a senior SSPDF officer, told reporters that Tuesday’s drone strike by the Sudanese army killed seven South Sudan People’s Defence Forces soldiers at the Heglig oilfield, which he said is currently under SSPDF protection.
“Our people were attacked with a drone, and we lost seven soldiers. A vehicle mounted with a heavy machine gun was also destroyed,” he said, adding that 10 rifles belonging to the fallen soldiers were damaged.
Domic said the attack occurred despite an agreement reached with Sudanese army leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. He said RSF forces who had been in Heglig left on Monday.
He added that the matter would be addressed by the leadership of the two countries.
SSPDF Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Paul Nang Majok visited the oilfield and confirmed the existence of a tripartite agreement assigning the SSPDF primary responsibility for securing Heglig amid rising insecurity.
“The agreement was reached by the leadership of South Sudan led by Gen. Salva Kiir, the Sudanese army leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF leader Gen. Hemedti,” Majok said. “They agreed that this oilfield should be protected because it has strategic importance to Sudan and South Sudan.”
He said the deal requires both the Sudanese army and the RSF to withdraw from the oilfield, leaving the SSPDF solely responsible for its protection.
Gen. Majok said the arrangement is part of wider efforts to stabilize the border region and safeguard critical oil infrastructure.