Sources in Heglig: Militia Has Not Completely Withdrawn from the Field

South Sudanese media outlets reported that oil engineers stated efforts are underway to resume oil production at the Heglig oil field in Sudan, as the South Sudanese government strives to restart operations as quickly as possible.

South Sudan deployed its forces to the strategic Heglig oil field on December 10th under an unprecedented agreement with warring parties in Sudan to secure the site as fighting intensified in Sudan’s Kordofan region.

This deployment followed the Rapid Support Forces’ (RSF) takeover of the Heglig field, which halted oil production.

The tripartite agreement aims to neutralize the oil field from any actual fighting and protect a vital source of income for both Sudan and South Sudan.

The Heglig field, located along the Sudanese-South Sudanese border, contains key oil infrastructure, including production wells and a processing facility. It also lies on a 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) pipeline that transports South Sudanese crude oil from the Unity oil fields to Port Sudan.

“We came from Juba, where we were on alert,” an engineer told a local radio station. A committee has been formed to work on resuming oil production.

Another engineer confirmed that the South Sudanese People’s Defence Forces (SDF) have deployed a large number of troops to the oil field to protect the facilities and workers.

However, he said that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have not fully withdrawn from the area and are still present at some points within the oil field.