South Sudan army moves into Heglig after ‘tripartite deal’

South Sudanese troops have entered the Heglig oil field in West Kordofan after an agreement with Sudan’s warring parties. The field processes some 130,000 barrels of South Sudanese crude for export via pipelines in Sudan.

The South Sudanese army’s (SSPDF) chief of staff, Paul Nang, gave an address from the Heglig oil field saying the force entered the area under a “tripartite agreement” between South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) leader Abdelfattah El Burhan, and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (SAF) commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.

The deal requires both Sudanese parties to withdraw from the field and allows South Sudanese forces to protect oil installations to prevent sabotage, Nang said. The aim is to “completely neutralise” the area from combat as battles intensify across the Kordofan region.

South Sudanese troops will not participate in any military operations inside Sudan and will maintain strict neutrality, he stressed, adding the SSPDF’s mandate is limited to securing oil infrastructure vital to both countries’ economies.

The deployment follows the RSF’s takeover of the strategic site on Monday, which forced SAF units to retreat across the border into South Sudan, where they surrendered their weapons.

Economic impact

Economist Wael Fahmy told Radio Dabanga that the RSF’s capture of Heglig is significant but will have limited economic effect. Revenues from the sector have become marginal and “consequently, oil is no longer a vital resource for domestic consumption for the government.”

South Sudan, however, remains heavily reliant on crude exports from the field. Heglig hosts a central processing facility capable of handling around 130,000 barrels of South Sudanese crude, exported through pipelines crossing Sudanese territory. South Sudan resumed exports through Sudan in January after suspending them for almost a year.

Oil operations ‘impossible’

Former oil minister Adel Ibrahim told Radio Dabanga that the current environment is “entirely incompatible” with oil extraction, noting that even in peacetime, heavy military deployment is prohibited inside production zones.

“Oil operations cannot function with guns present, regardless of who holds them.” He added that any return to production would be unrealistic, and warned that without a halt to the conflict, “there is no future for the oil sector in Sudan.”

Heglig’s production has fallen from 65,000 barrels per day to around 20,000 since fighting between SAF and the RSF escalated in April 2023. As reported by Dabanga yesterday, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) withdrew from Sudan after three decades, citing deteriorating security in the West Kordofan fields.