Sudan Drops from Oil Production List After Rapid Support Forces Seize Heglig Field

Informed sources revealed that production has completely halted at the Heglig oil field in South Kordofan State following an attack launched by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia on the area in the early hours of Monday morning.

The sources confirmed that companies operating in the field withdrew their employees to South Sudan two days before the anticipated attack.

The sources stated, “Since the RSF militia seized the town of Babanusa, an attack on the oil-producing region was expected, prompting the companies operating in the field to take precautionary measures.”

The sources explained that halting production at the Heglig field means a complete cessation of oil production in all Sudanese states, effectively removing the country from the list of oil-producing nations.

The Heglig oil field is located in South Kordofan state, bordering South Sudan, and is the country’s largest oil field. It contains pipelines and a pumping station for South Sudanese oil, which is then exported via Port Sudan in eastern Sudan.

Before the war, the Heglig oil field produced approximately 80,000 barrels per day, but production has since plummeted to below 40,000 barrels per day due to technical malfunctions and a lack of funding for repairs.

On Saturday, the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), through its Sudanese subsidiary PetroEnergy, requested an urgent meeting with the Sudanese government in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, sometime this month to discuss the early termination of its oil operations in the country.

The Chinese company justified its decision to suspend operations in Sudan by citing the continued deterioration of the field’s security environment following numerous acts of sabotage, theft, and the collapse of supply chains during the conflict, which rendered spare parts and essential equipment unavailable.