Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday accused the SAF of carrying out a foreign-made drone strike on the Heglig oilfield, a day after RSF fighters said they had seized control of the strategic energy facility.
In a statement, the RSF said the strike killed and wounded dozens, claiming it hit engineers and oil workers, leaders from the native administration, and members of security and protection forces from both South Sudan and the RSF. It added that “vital installations” at the field were also damaged.
The RSF, which referred to the SAF as the “so-called Muslim Brotherhood army”, denounced the attack as a “terrorist act” and a blatant violation of international law, saying it posed a direct threat to regional security and stability. The group said the strike reflected what it described as the SAF’s “deep frustration and internal collapse” following recent battlefield setbacks.
Warning of “grave consequences” if such operations continue, the RSF stressed that Heglig is a key economic lifeline for neighbouring South Sudan, whose crude is exported through pipelines running across Sudan. It called on the international community, including the United Nations and the U.N. Security Council, to condemn the attack and act to stop what it described as hostile actions and breaches of an RSF-declared humanitarian truce.
The group said its fighters were able to secure the oilfield, protect civilians and safeguard infrastructure against further attacks, and reiterated what it called its legitimate right to respond in self-defence to any future assaults on its forces or strategic facilities.