Khartoum and Juba Agree to Resume Production at Heglig Oil Field

Authorities in Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to resume oil production at the Heglig and Bamboo oil fields in West Kordofan, according to Chol Thon, Undersecretary at South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum.

Thon said production would restart following technical talks held during a visit by a South Sudanese delegation to Port Sudan, led by Tut Galwak, Adviser to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir. He added that the delegation, which he headed, held discussions with Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum, resulting in an agreement to restore operations at the Heglig field.

The development follows the Rapid Support Forces’ seizure of the Heglig oil field earlier this month, after which the RSF handed control of the facility to the Government of South Sudan, which subsequently deployed forces there under an agreement with Khartoum.

In a related statement, Semaya Kumba, South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, told reporters at Juba International Airport on Wednesday that oil officials from both countries had agreed to enhance cooperation in security, trade, and petroleum, including the resumption of production at major oil fields.

The Heglig oil field comprises 75 oil wells and a central processing facility with a capacity of 130,000 barrels per day, handling crude produced in Unity State in South Sudan. The oil is exported via pipeline networks to the Bashayir Port on Sudan’s Red Sea coast.