• South Sudan says it secured an accord with Sudan’s army and RSF to safeguard Heglig
• Juba reports authorization to deploy forces as fighting threatens oil infrastructure
• The deal aims to stabilize crude flows repeatedly disrupted since the war began in 2023

South Sudan says it has reached an agreement with the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the two sides fighting in Sudan, to protect the Heglig oil field located on Sudanese territory near the shared border. The information was reported on December 11, by international media.

According to South Sudanese Foreign Minister James Pitia Morgan, cited by Agence France-Presse, Juba has obtained authorization to deploy its forces to secure the area, and authorities say oil operations there continue. This authorization follows discussions in October on establishing a joint security mechanism to share intelligence and conduct cross-border patrols to protect the facilities.

The minister said the three parties agreed that the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), the national army, would take charge of security in the area to prevent fighting from damaging infrastructure. He also reported that Sudanese soldiers who fled or surrendered after clashes around the field have arrived in South Sudan.

The agreement comes as the war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 has repeatedly targeted oil infrastructure. In March 2024, Sudan’s Ministry of Energy declared force majeure on exports of South Sudanese crude after fighting ruptured the pipeline linking Jabelyn to Port Sudan.

This pattern continued in 2025 with several drone attacks on energy facilities. Local and international media reported strikes on the Heglig field, including one attack that caused emergency shutdowns and resulted in several deaths, including workers, and another strike that killed South Sudanese soldiers deployed at the site.

At the same time, Khartoum’s only refinery was hit by drone attacks, and oil depots in Port Sudan were targeted, prompting Sudanese authorities to consider shutting down certain facilities, according to the Sudan Post.

For South Sudan, these incidents have led to repeated disruptions of its crude exports, which before the war moved through Sudanese pipelines at a rate of 100,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, according to the International Crisis Group.

In this context, Juba presents the Heglig agreement as a measure to reduce the risk of further damage and stabilize flows. However, implementation will depend on the parties honoring their commitments amid ongoing fighting.

Abdel-Latif Boureima