South Sudan deploys forces to secure Heglig oil field after Sudan RSF capture
South Sudan has deployed troops to secure the Heglig oil field after Sudan’s RSF seized it, following talks between regional leaders to prevent fighting near vital energy infrastructure.
South Sudan has deployed its forces to secure the Heglig oil field along the Sudanese border, following its capture on Monday by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), confirmed General Paul Nang, the country’s chief of defence forces, on Thursday.
Heglig is a strategically important site for South Sudan, hosting the main processing facilities for the country’s oil, a crucial source of government revenue. Oil from the field is transported via the Greater Nile pipeline to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, making the site vital for both nations.
More To Read
- UN warns human rights face growing threats worldwide in 2025 as funding for activists falls
- Sudanese herders struggle to safeguard livestock amid devastating war
- US sanctions network accused of recruiting Colombians to fight for Sudan’s RSF
- Sudan’s RSF seizes Heglig oilfield in major strategic blow to army amid escalating conflict
- WHO calls for ceasefire after deadly attacks on civilians in Sudan kill 114, including 63 children
- Sudan puts Russian Red Sea naval base plans on hold to focus on domestic crisis
For landlocked South Sudan, control of Heglig is particularly critical, as the country depends almost entirely on Sudanese pipelines to export its oil.
Call to de-escalate tensions
According to Nang, the deployment followed personal phone discussions between President Salva Kiir, Sudan Army Chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, urging all parties to de-escalate tensions and prevent fighting near the oil infrastructure.
"The three agreed that the area of Heglig should be protected because (it) is a very important strategic area for the two countries," Nang said in comments to state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Radio.
"Now it is the forces of South Sudan that are in Heglig."
The deployment came after a dramatic retreat of Sudanese government forces and oil workers, who withdrew to avoid clashes that could damage critical infrastructure.
Retreating troops
South Sudanese officials say over 1,700 Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) personnel, including 60 officers and 1,650 non-commissioned officers, have crossed into Unity State.
The retreating troops handed over their weapons to the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) in accordance with international law.
"The SAF units that entered into the Republic of South Sudan as required by international law to surrender their weapons to the SSPDF… The forces that entered South Sudan are safe. And they are now being arranged to be taken back to their country," said South Sudan Minister of Information, Communication, and Technology, Ateny Wek Ateny, according to The Sudan Tribune.
The ongoing conflict between the RSF and SAF has killed more than 40,000 people, displaced over 14 million, and pushed parts of Sudan into famine, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Top Stories Today
