Sudan shuts down major oil processing facility following drone attacks

Sudan has initiated a shutdown of the Heglig oil facility following drone attacks it blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to a letter sent by its government to its South Sudanese neighbour and seen by Reuters.

Heglig, which lies along Sudan's southern border, houses the main processing facility for South Sudanese oil, which accounts for the majority of South Sudan's government revenues.

The 2023 outbreak of the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF has disrupted the flow of South Sudanese oil to Sudan, which before the conflict had been receiving between 100,000 and 150,000 barrels of oil per day for further exports.

The letter sent by Sudan's energy ministry to its South Sudanese counterparts cited drone attacks on August 26 and 30 as the cause for the shutdown.