Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has ordered an emergency shutdown of oil facilities in the Heglig area near the border with South Sudan following a drone attack early Saturday, threatening to disrupt crude exports from landlocked South Sudan.
The attack, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted the Heglig Operations Basecamp around 2:30 a.m., damaging the airport terminal and prompting the evacuation of personnel, according to a ministry letter dated Aug. 30 and obtained by Radio Tamazuj. The airport has been non-operational since April 2023.
The Heglig facility is a key transit hub for oil pumped from South Sudan, which relies on Sudanese pipelines to export crude through Port Sudan on the Red Sea. Any disruption poses serious risks to South Sudan’s fragile economy, which depends heavily on oil revenue.
In the letter, Sudan’s acting undersecretary of petroleum, Dr. Fadul Mahmoud, described the strikes as unprovoked and said they posed “a serious threat to the stability of oil flows.”
The ministry said it could no longer ensure the safety of personnel on site and directed two major operators—2B Operating Company (2B OPCO) and Petrolines for Crude Oil Co. Ltd. (PETCO)—to activate emergency shutdown procedures and evacuate workers.
The ministry also warned that PETCO would not be able to meet crude lifting schedules due to reduced staffing following an earlier RSF drone strike on Aug. 26 that killed five people and wounded seven.
“The basecamp is purely civilian infrastructure with no military presence,” the ministry said, emphasizing that ongoing attacks endanger non-combatants and essential oil operations.
Sudan’s ministry said further updates on the shutdown will be shared in coordination with South Sudan.
The shutdown is expected to affect production in Unity oilfields in South Sudan and could significantly impact oil flows.
In separate letters to South Sudanese oil partners, PETCO and 2B OPCO echoed concerns about escalating security threats. The letters, signed by General Manager Mohamed Siddiq Elhusein, warned that continued violence could lead to a complete halt in oil operations. PETCO addressed its letter to Sudd Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC), while 2B OPCO’s was sent to Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC).
South Sudan currently exports around 110,000 barrels of oil per day and earns most of its government revenue from oil. A prolonged halt in exports could deepen the country’s economic crisis and worsen political instability.
Oil shipments had only resumed in January after being suspended for nearly a year due to earlier pipeline damage caused by clashes in Sudan.
The conflict between Sudan’s military and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 13 million people, and destabilized parts of East Africa.