Overview
- The RSF says it seized the Heglig oilfield in South Kordofan and the army confirmed it withdrew, halting operations at Sudan’s largest oil processing hub for South Sudan’s crude.
- Two Sudanese military officials confirmed a drone strike near the facility targeting RSF fighters, while the RSF reported dozens killed, including engineers, local leaders and South Sudanese soldiers, with tolls still unverified.
- South Sudan’s Unity State confirmed three of its soldiers were killed and said about 3,900 Sudanese troops crossed the border and surrendered weapons after the RSF takeover.
- The shutdown further jeopardizes South Sudan’s sole export route and state revenues, and analysts say RSF control of Heglig could serve as leverage in the conflict’s opaque oil economy.
- The escalation follows recent RSF territorial gains including el-Fasher and Babanousa as the war’s humanitarian toll deepens, with earlier WHO-confirmed strikes on civilian and health sites in Kordofan causing mass casualties.