RSF seizes key Heglig oilfield as it pushes to expand control in Sudan 

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has seized control of the strategic Heglig oilfield in Sudan’s South Kordofan province.

The claim early on Monday was supported later by a statement issued by the military government’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) saying it had withdrawn from the area. The takeover comes as the RSF, embroiled in a two-and-a-half-year conflict with the SAF, pushes to expand eastwards and southwards from the western Darfur region, over which it took full control last month.

Youssef Alian, the head of the RSF-affiliated “civil administration” in the where the oilfield is situated, asserted in a statement that the takeover happened under his coordination.

He said that he had helped “prepare a special, qualified and trained force … to secure the Heglig field and protect oil installations from any acts of sabotage or threats that may affect their safety”.

The Heglig field is the Sudan’s largest, and also the main processing facility for neighbouring South Sudan’s oil exports.

The RSF has been mobilising troops to take more areas in the south and central parts of Sudan.

It has made inroads from Darfur eastwards and to the south.

It was battling last week for control of the West Kordofan town of Babnusa, viewed as a gateway to Darfur.

The eastwards push into the giant Kordofan region offers a potential route towards the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, from which the SAF pushed its paramilitary rival earlier this year.

The RSF push would also potentially offer significant funding opportunities, with central Sudan being a major agricultural centre.

Further to the south in Kordofan can be found Sudan’s gold reserves, as well as oil.

Heglig lies in the far south of the region. Fierce fighting has erupted in recent weeks as the RSF wrestles with the SAF for territory.

In August, drone strikes forced the authorities to temporarily suspend operations at the field.

An army source appeared to confirm the capture of Heglig, telling the AFP news agency that SAF troops withdrew “to protect the oil facilities and prevent damage”.

Alian said his administration has now limited entry to the oilfield to a task force created to “protect” it.

“The liberation of the Heglig oil region is a pivotal point in the liberation of the entire homeland,” the RSF said in a statement.

An unnamed engineer told AFP that the army and workers at the oilfield were evacuated to South Sudan.

“The processing plant near the field through which South Sudanese oil passes was also shut down,” the engineer said.

Sudan has been engulfed in civil war since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 12 million, according to the United Nations. It has also left some 30 million in need of humanitarian aid.