Sudan drone strike at Heglig deepens oil lifeline fears near South Sudan border
2025-12-09 — A drone strike near Sudan's largest oil processing facility in Heglig has killed dozens of people, according to the available reporting from the scene and statements cited by the Associated Press.
The attack matters well beyond the immediate casualties. Heglig sits near the border with South Sudan and is part of the narrow infrastructure corridor that carries South Sudanese crude to export markets. That makes the site one of the most strategically sensitive facilities in the wider war between Sudan's armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which have fought since 2023.
The AP account says the strike came after the RSF had taken control of the facility a day earlier, apparently without resistance. It also says both sides told the news agency that the exact number of dead and wounded could not be immediately confirmed. Local outlets described seven tribal leaders and dozens of RSF fighters among the dead, while the RSF said South Sudanese soldiers were also killed.
Sudanese military officials confirmed the strike and said it targeted RSF fighters. The government of South Sudan's Unity State said three South Sudanese soldiers were killed. A witness quoted by AP estimated about 25 people were killed. Those figures do not line up neatly, which is common in fast-moving conflict reporting, but the broad picture is clear: the attack caused heavy losses around a major oil site and drew in actors from both sides of the border.
The human cost is tied to a larger military and economic struggle. South Sudan depends entirely on Sudanese pipelines to export oil, and that dependence has already been disrupted repeatedly by the war. AP reports that Sudanese soldiers and oil workers began evacuating Heglig on Monday, while by Tuesday about 3,900 Sudanese soldiers had surrendered weapons after crossing into Rubkona County in South Sudan. Video from state broadcaster footage showed tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery among the equipment handed over.
The reporting also points to population movement and widening instability. Thousands of civilians from Sudan began crossing into South Sudan on Sunday and were still arriving Wednesday, according to South Sudanese officials. South Sudan says it remains neutral in the conflict, despite accusations from Sudanese actors that it has sided with the RSF.
Heglig's capture and the strike that followed fit into a broader pattern of territorial shifts. AP notes it is the latest in a series of RSF gains, including the fall of el-Fasher in October. The war has killed an estimated 150,000 people, displaced millions and triggered multiple famines. In that context, a strike at Heglig is not just another battlefield incident. It is a signal that control over oil infrastructure remains central to the conflict's military and economic logic, and that the fighting continues to spill across borders.
