Sudan's Darfur Conflict Spills into South Sudan, Oil Field Secured Under Unprecedented Agreement
In a dramatic shift in the escalating conflict between Sudanese warring parties, the South Sudanese military has taken control of the strategic Heglig oilfield. The deployment came after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the facility on December 8, prompting the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) units to retreat into South Sudan. Under an unprecedented agreement between Khartoum and Juba, the two countries agreed to safeguard critical energy infrastructure from the country's civil war.
The deployment was based on a previous oil and security cooperation agreement signed between the two nations, which stipulates the protection of oil fields, pipelines, and central pumping stations for South Sudan's oil. The new factor in this arrangement is the involvement of the RSF, whose capture of Heglig has marked the latest advance in the conflict.
South Sudan People's Defence Forces Chief of Staff Paul Nang said troops entered under a "tripartite agreement" involving President Salva Kiir, SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The pact requires both Sudanese forces to withdraw from the area, with South Sudanese forces maintaining strict neutrality.
The primary goal is to completely neutralise the Heglig field from any combat operations, as it "represents an economic lifeline not only for South Sudan but for Sudan as well," Nang said. The deployment follows a deadly drone attack on Tuesday evening that killed dozens, including three South Sudanese soldiers.
Approximately 3,900 Sudanese soldiers crossed into South Sudan's Rubkona County after evacuating Heglig, handing over tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery to South Sudanese authorities. Thousands of civilians have also fled across the border since Sunday.
Jan Pospisil, a South Sudan expert at Coventry University, explained the strategic calculus behind the unusual arrangement. "From the SAF's perspective, they don't want the RSF to find another possible revenue stream, and it is better from their perspective for South Sudan to take control of the area," he said.
The seizure of Heglig marks the latest RSF advance as the conflict’s centre of gravity shifts from Darfur to the vast Kordofan region. The paramilitary force secured complete control of Darfur in October with the fall of el-Fasher, prompting international alarm over mass atrocities.
The situation on the ground remains dire, with refugees continuing to arrive at the Tawila camp and some forced to sleep outdoors due to insufficient resources. UN human rights chief Volker Turk repeated a warning he issued last week that he was "extremely worried that we might see in Kordofan a repeat of the atrocities that have been committed in el-Fasher," amid RSF advances in the region.
The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect echoed his warning, with Executive Director Savita Pawnday stressing that Sudan faces "one of the world's gravest atrocity crises," where civilians are enduring "unimaginable harm while the international community fails to respond."
In a dramatic shift in the escalating conflict between Sudanese warring parties, the South Sudanese military has taken control of the strategic Heglig oilfield. The deployment came after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the facility on December 8, prompting the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) units to retreat into South Sudan. Under an unprecedented agreement between Khartoum and Juba, the two countries agreed to safeguard critical energy infrastructure from the country's civil war.
The deployment was based on a previous oil and security cooperation agreement signed between the two nations, which stipulates the protection of oil fields, pipelines, and central pumping stations for South Sudan's oil. The new factor in this arrangement is the involvement of the RSF, whose capture of Heglig has marked the latest advance in the conflict.
South Sudan People's Defence Forces Chief of Staff Paul Nang said troops entered under a "tripartite agreement" involving President Salva Kiir, SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The pact requires both Sudanese forces to withdraw from the area, with South Sudanese forces maintaining strict neutrality.
The primary goal is to completely neutralise the Heglig field from any combat operations, as it "represents an economic lifeline not only for South Sudan but for Sudan as well," Nang said. The deployment follows a deadly drone attack on Tuesday evening that killed dozens, including three South Sudanese soldiers.
Approximately 3,900 Sudanese soldiers crossed into South Sudan's Rubkona County after evacuating Heglig, handing over tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery to South Sudanese authorities. Thousands of civilians have also fled across the border since Sunday.
Jan Pospisil, a South Sudan expert at Coventry University, explained the strategic calculus behind the unusual arrangement. "From the SAF's perspective, they don't want the RSF to find another possible revenue stream, and it is better from their perspective for South Sudan to take control of the area," he said.
The seizure of Heglig marks the latest RSF advance as the conflict’s centre of gravity shifts from Darfur to the vast Kordofan region. The paramilitary force secured complete control of Darfur in October with the fall of el-Fasher, prompting international alarm over mass atrocities.
The situation on the ground remains dire, with refugees continuing to arrive at the Tawila camp and some forced to sleep outdoors due to insufficient resources. UN human rights chief Volker Turk repeated a warning he issued last week that he was "extremely worried that we might see in Kordofan a repeat of the atrocities that have been committed in el-Fasher," amid RSF advances in the region.
The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect echoed his warning, with Executive Director Savita Pawnday stressing that Sudan faces "one of the world's gravest atrocity crises," where civilians are enduring "unimaginable harm while the international community fails to respond."
. I mean, South Sudanese military taking control of Heglig oilfield under some agreement between Khartoum and Juba? It sounds good on paper, but let's be real, there's gotta be more to it than that 
. They're saying the RSF's capture was a "tripartite agreement" involving President Salva Kiir, SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo... yeah right 
.
. But what if that's just a smokescreen? What if there are other forces at play here? I mean, we can't even trust our own sources 
. And don't even get me started on the situation on the ground... refugees fleeing, civilians forced to sleep outdoors, mass atrocities being committed? It's like, how much more of this can we take? 
i mean, first darfur and now south sudan is involved? it's like a domino effect 
. it shows that even in the midst of all this chaos, there are still some leaders who want to maintain a semblance of order 
. but at what cost? i mean, the fact that south sudanese troops are now controlling the oilfield raises so many questions 
. it's like he's got a personal stake in this conflict, and that's concerning 
. i just hope that we can get to the bottom of what's really going on and figure out a way to bring some peace to sudan 
. it's not enough to just issue warnings and warnings; we need concrete action 
. i mean, the situation in kordofan is dire, with refugees pouring in and people struggling to survive 
. it's like the whole world is turning a blind eye while sudan burns 
i was watching a video of people making it and it looked sooo good maybe we can try making it together over zoom?? what's with the rsf taking the oilfield tho? seems like a pretty intense situation 
what's really going on here? it seems like a classic case of a big corporation (in this case, oil companies) pulling strings from behind the scenes. south sudan and sudan are basically fighting over who gets control of their shared oil fields, but i'm not buying the whole "diplomatic agreement" story... 
has anyone considered that there might be some shady business deals at play? maybe something like a consortium that's profiting off both countries' conflicts. it's all about the benjamins, folks! 
. I mean, the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan has been going on for ages 
They're like a bunch of wildcards in this situation 
. And I'm still trying to wrap my head around why Khartoum and Juba agreed to let South Sudan take control of it in the first place 
.
, but at least they're trying to keep their own people safe 
. But you know what? The RSF has been doing some questionable stuff too 
. I don't even want to think about the atrocities happening in Darfur right now 
.
Just saw that South Sudan has taken control of Heglig oilfield after RSF took it from Sudanese forces 
. Under an unprecedented agreement between Khartoum & Juba, critical energy infrastructure will be protected 
. This deployment also shows how South Sudan has stepped up to protect its people and economy 
. Now, let's hope this sets a new precedent for peacekeeping and international cooperation 
.
. The Heglig oilfield takeover by RSF is just another twist in this heartbreaking story 
. Thousands of civilians have fled across the border, and refugees are struggling to survive 
. The international community needs to step up and do more