Efforts to resume oil production at the strategically vital Heglig oilfield are now underway as South Sudan’s government pushes for operations to restart as quickly as possible, oil engineers confirmed on Sunday. The development comes just one week after tensions between South Sudan’s People’s Defense Forces and Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces at the oilfield were successfully contained following what officials described as a misunderstanding over protection of the facility.
Technical teams have already been redeployed to the oilfield and are actively preparing for the resumption of production. Several Sudanese engineers speaking to Radio Tamazuj on condition of anonymity confirmed that a committee has been formed specifically to work on restarting operations. One engineer stated, “Some of us are already here in Heglig. We came from Juba, where we were on standby.”
The situation at Heglig has been delicate since December 10, when South Sudan deployed troops to the strategic oilfield under an unprecedented agreement with Sudan’s warring parties to secure the site as fighting intensified across Sudan’s Kordofan region. The deployment followed the RSF’s capture of Heglig two days earlier, which forced Sudanese Armed Forces units to retreat across the border into South Sudan. Oil production was shut down after the takeover.
Engineers at the site report that the SSPDF has deployed a large number of troops to protect facilities and workers, and the security situation at the oilfield is generally calm. However, the RSF has not fully withdrawn from the area and still maintains a presence at some points within the oilfield. Despite requests from workers for complete RSF withdrawal, which were refused, oil workers have begun preparations for resumption.
In a positive sign of progress, a power station at the facility was restarted on Saturday as a first step toward resuming production. One engineer expressed gratitude, saying, “We thank the forces providing protection at the oilfield and the engineers working hard to ensure oil production resumes for the benefit of both Sudan and South Sudan.”
Heglig, located along the Sudan-South Sudan border, hosts key oil infrastructure, including production wells and a processing facility. It also lies on the 1,600-kilometer pipeline that transports South Sudanese crude oil from the Unity oilfields to Port Sudan. The tripartite agreement seeks to neutralize the oilfield from active combat, protecting a critical source of revenue for both Sudan and South Sudan. It remains unclear whether the agreement includes provisions for the RSF to receive a share of oil revenues.
Source: radiotamazuj.org