Efforts to resume oil production at the Heglig oilfield are underway as the South Sudan government pushes for operations to restart as soon as possible, oil engineers said.
The move comes a week after tensions between South Sudan’s People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) at the oilfield were contained following what officials described as a misunderstanding over protection of the facility.
South Sudan deployed troops to the strategic Heglig oilfield on Dec. 10 under an unprecedented agreement with Sudan’s warring parties to secure the site as fighting intensified across Sudan’s Kordofan region.
The deployment followed the RSF’s capture of Heglig two days earlier, which forced Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) units to retreat across the border into South Sudan, where they reportedly surrendered their weapons. Oil production at the facility was shut down after the takeover.
The tripartite agreement seeks to neutralize the oilfield from active combat, protecting a critical source of revenue for both Sudan and South Sudan.
Heglig, located along the Sudan–South Sudan border, hosts key oil infrastructure, including production wells and a processing facility. It also lies on the 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) pipeline that transports South Sudanese crude oil from the Unity oilfields to Port Sudan.
Several Sudanese engineers told Radio Tamazuj on Sunday that technical teams have already been redeployed to the oilfield to begin preparations for resuming production.
“Some of us are already here in Heglig. We came from Juba, where we were on standby,” one engineer said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “A committee has been formed to work on the resumption of oil production.”
Another engineer confirmed that the SSPDF has deployed a large number of troops at the oilfield to protect facilities and workers.
However, he said the RSF has not fully withdrawn from the area and still maintains a presence at some points within the oilfield.
“There have been requests from workers for the RSF to withdraw completely, but they refused,” he said. “Despite this, oil workers have already started preparations for resumption, and the security situation at the oilfield is generally calm.”
A third engineer said on Saturday a power station at the facility was restarted as a first step toward resuming production.
“We thank the forces providing protection at the oilfield and the engineers working hard to ensure oil production resumes for the benefit of both Sudan and South Sudan,” he said.
It remains unclear whether the tripartite agreement includes provisions for the RSF to receive a share of oil revenues.