JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — South Sudan has resumed transporting and exporting crude oil after drone attacks on two key oil installations in neighboring Sudan forced an emergency shutdown of cross-border operations, a senior official said Wednesday.
Petroleum Ministry Undersecretary Deng Lual Wol told reporters in Juba that “operations across all oil fields in South Sudan have returned to normal” and that crude was again flowing through pipelines to export terminals in Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
“Crude oil exports are now flowing normally from South Sudan through the designated pipelines to the export point at the marine terminal in the Red Sea,” said Lual.
Oil production in South Sudan was disrupted last week after drone attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, targeted the Heglig oil processing facility, near the border with Sudan which has been embroiled in a civil war for more than two years.
The strikes hit the site’s maintenance workshop and laboratory, killing a staff member.
A second drone attack on Nov. 15 targeted the Al Jabalyn processing site, located further east in Sudan, and its power plant.
Oil companies operating in both countries were reported to have temporarily halted output following the assaults.
“We assure the public that crude oil exports from South Sudan have been fully restored and operations in the Paloch, Unity, and Tharjiath fields have returned to normal,” Lual said.
The ministry praised the rapid response from technical teams in South Sudan and Sudan. “Their swift action has minimized the impact of these incidents on our national economy and ensured the protection of vital oil assets,” Lual said.
Lual said leaders in both countries are engaging a third-party country to prevent the RSF, the paramilitary group fighting since 2023 to take over Sudan, from further strikes on oil infrastructure located in Sudan’s territory.
He added that protecting the pipeline and export corridor is essential for both nations.
“As a landlocked country, South Sudan has the right to access seaports under international law,” Lual said.
By DENG MACHOL
Associated Press
