Sudan Emergency Oil Shutdown Threatens South Sudan Exports After Drone Attack
Emergency shutdown orders issued following RSF drone strike on critical Heglig facility
Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has ordered an immediate emergency shutdown of oil facilities in the Heglig area near the South Sudan border following a devastating drone attack early Saturday morning. The strike, attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeted the Heglig Operations Basecamp around 2:30 a.m., causing significant damage to the airport terminal and forcing the evacuation of all personnel.
The shutdown poses a serious threat to South Sudan’s fragile economy, which depends heavily on oil revenue from exports that flow through Sudanese pipelines to Port Sudan on the Red Sea. South Sudan currently exports around 110,000 barrels of oil per day, and a prolonged halt could deepen the country’s economic crisis and worsen political instability.
Sudan’s acting undersecretary of petroleum, Dr. Fadul Mahmoud, described the strikes as unprovoked and said they posed “a serious threat to the stability of oil flows.” The ministry directed two major operators, 2B Operating Company (2B OPCO) and Petrolines for Crude Oil Co. Ltd. (PETCO), to activate emergency shutdown procedures immediately.
The ministry warned that PETCO would not be able to meet crude lifting schedules due to reduced staffing following an earlier RSF drone strike on August 26 that killed five people and wounded seven others. The shutdown is expected to significantly impact production in Unity oilfields in South Sudan.
Oil shipments had only resumed in January after being suspended for nearly a year due to earlier pipeline damage caused by clashes in Sudan. The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people.
Source: radiotamazuj.org
