Sudan has begun shutting down the Heglig oil facility following drone attacks it blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a government letter sent to South Sudan and seen by Reuters.
Heglig, located along Sudan’s southern border, houses the main processing facility for South Sudanese oil, which provides the bulk of South Sudan’s government revenues.
The outbreak of war in 2023 between the Sudanese army and the RSF has already disrupted the flow of South Sudanese crude to Sudan, which before the conflict had been receiving between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels per day for export.
In its letter, Sudan’s energy ministry cited drone strikes on 26 and 30 August as the cause of the shutdown.
“Such unprovoked attacks represent a serious threat to the stability of oil flows from South Sudan and we cannot in good faith continue to man the operation there,” the ministry said in the letter, dated 30 August.
As a result, Sudan instructed the companies operating in the area 2B OPCO and PETCO to evacuate, adding that PETCO would be unable to meet its lifting schedule.
“Their continued operation despite ongoing attacks by the RSF will render them inoperable in the long run,” the letter said.
South Sudanese officials and the two companies could not immediately be reached for comment. The RSF also did not respond to requests for comment.
