RSF claims seizure of key oil field, China withdraws from Sudan’s faltering oil sector

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Monday that they had seized the Heglig oil field in West Kordofan, declaring the move a turning point in their campaign to “liberate the entire homeland.” 

The group said the area’s economic importance made it a lifeline for the Port Sudan government’s war effort, and pledged to safeguard engineers, technicians, and vital infrastructure.

The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) warned that the RSF’s unauthorised presence in the disputed Abyei region had already fuelled rising crime and illegal checkpoints along the disputed border separating Sudan and South Sudan.

Heglig is Sudan’s largest oil field and serves as the primary processing hub for crude exported from neighbouring South Sudan.

Earlier this year in March, Radio Dabanga reported that RSF fighters detained over 60 UN peacekeepers, abducted eight civilians at gunpoint, and looted a UN convoy, seizing eight vehicles and 280,000 litres of fuel from a UNISFA delivery to Kadugli.

‘Economic woes’

In a statement yesterday, the RSF-backed Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) said the takeover marked a pivotal step in its campaign against what it calls extremist elements within the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), arguing the operation underscored its ability to protect civilians and stabilise the region.

Workers inside Heglig reported that RSF fighters entered the field at dawn, ordered the shutdown of nearby processing facilities, and oversaw the evacuation of staff into South Sudan.

Local official Youssef Alyan confirmed that coordination had begun with RSF commanders to deploy a specialised force to secure the field and to bar entry to any unauthorised group under emergency directives.

The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) moved to terminate its long-standing partnership with Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Oil. Citing “force majeure,” CNPC said the continuing conflict had made operations impossible, pointing to repeated attacks, the shutdown of company offices, and the evacuation of personnel.

The firm is now seeking to end its agreements before the end of 2025. Oil expert and former Sudapet director Ayman Abu El Jawkh told Radio Dabanga that force majeure allows companies to withdraw when war or disaster renders a project unworkable, noting that the Port Sudan de facto authorities had invoked the same clause to halt crude flows to the state-owned Bashayer Pipeline Company.

‘RSF push’

A week earlier, Radio Dabanga reported that the RSF and its allies claimed to have captured the besieged city of Babanusa, including the SAF’s 22nd Infantry Division headquarters, the last major army foothold in West Kordofan.

Military analyst Col. Hatem Karim El Falahi told Al Jazeera last week, that the RSF control of Babanusa gives the group greater freedom to manoeuvre north and south, turning the city into a key strategic hub and describing the situation as a “race on the ground” between the two sides.