Juba, May 10, 2025 – Sudan has issued directives to oil companies to begin shutting down the pipeline that transports crude oil from South Sudan for export, following repeated attacks by the Rapid Support Forces on oil infrastructure. On May 9, 2025, Sudanese Oil Minister Mohieldin Naim Mohamed Saeed sent a letter to his South Sudanese counterpart, Ding Lual. In the letter, which was reviewed by Sudan Tribune, the ongoing attacks in Sudan have resulted in "significant losses in the economies of the two countries and investors." The letter highlighted nearly eighteen months of deferred production and costs associated with restarting oil fields and transportation systems.
Khartoum attributed this decision to drone attacks recently carried out by the Rapid Support Forces and their supporters against civilian infrastructure, stating that these attacks targeted oil facilities and have impacted Sudan's ability to manage export operations. Specifically, the letter mentioned a drone attack on the early morning of May 9 on Pump Station No. 5 of the Petroleum Lines Company (PETCO) in the Hudi area, which reportedly caused "significant damage." The ministry warned of a severe risk to export operations, emphasizing the critical role of the station.
Additionally, the letter referenced a drone strike on May 8 targeting a fuel depot in White Nile State used by the BAPCO company for its operations. It stated that "the ports and airports that were used by both PETCO and BAPCO to import vital materials currently have pending shipments of essential chemicals that they cannot receive." It also noted that attacks on electricity substations have led to power outages at marine stations, affecting their ability to load crude oil simultaneously, and that assaults on fuel depots threaten to cause a severe shortage of fuel supplies necessary for transportation systems.
As a result, the letter indicated that Sudan has "instructed both PETCO and BAPCO to provide a rapid roadmap to enable us to close the facilities," adding that the plan would be implemented if the attacks exposing these facilities to danger continued. No official statement had been issued by South Sudanese officials, who heavily rely on the pipeline for their oil exports, as of Saturday. A technical advisor in South Sudan's Ministry of Petroleum, who spoke to Sudan Tribune on Saturday on the condition of anonymity, stated that the message was received on Friday, May 9, indicating it was not an official working day in Sudan and the last working day in South Sudan. The advisor added, "We have not had the opportunity to meet and study the content of the message. If there is a response, it will be on Monday through official channels." Another official in South Sudan's Ministry of Finance and Planning, who also spoke to Sudan Tribune, indicated that Khartoum might exploit the security situation as a pretext to increase oil transit fees.
In a separate incident, 33 people, including 14 from one family, were killed in an attack attributed to the Rapid Support Forces targeting a camp for displaced persons in the Darfur region of western Sudan and a prison in North Kordofan. The violence has escalated in recent weeks, with the army and the Rapid Support Forces resorting to long-range weapons to target areas controlled by each other. On Friday evening, the Rapid Support Forces launched an intense artillery bombardment on the Abu Shouk camp for the displaced in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, resulting in the deaths of 14 individuals from a single family and injuries to others, according to a statement from the Abu Shouk camp emergency room on Saturday.
In North Kordofan, 19 inmates were killed and 45 others injured due to a missile strike carried out by a drone belonging to the Rapid Support Forces on the Al-Abiad prison, according to a medical source at the city hospital. The source informed Agence France-Presse that the bodies of the deceased were transferred to the Al-Abiad hospital, while the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals in Al-Abiad and Al-Dhaman. The government linked to the army condemned the prison bombing, deeming it a "complete war crime." Spokesperson Khaled Al-Ayser expressed on X, "We condemn this terrorist act in the strongest terms."
Meanwhile, the Sudanese government warned of the potential halt of oil exports from both Sudan and South Sudan due to the Rapid Support Forces targeting oil pumping lines. The Sudanese Energy and Oil Ministry sent a message to its South Sudanese counterpart on Saturday, informing them that drone strikes targeted an oil pumping station in the Hudi area on Friday morning, causing "significant damage to the oil pumping station... and the chances of halting export operations have become very high." The message also noted another drone attack on Thursday targeting a fuel depot in the White Nile State that BAPCO relied on for its operations. South Sudan depends on Sudanese infrastructure to export its oil under a trade agreement between the two countries. The Sudanese government had resumed oil export operations at the beginning of this year after a suspension that lasted since the onset of the war in 2023.
As the conflict escalates, the Rapid Support Forces have increasingly relied on light aircraft and advanced weapons, enabling them to target army-affiliated locations in areas that were relatively safe. The government accuses the UAE of supplying the Rapid Support Forces with weapons, a claim that Abu Dhabi denies. Amnesty International published a report on Thursday accusing the UAE of providing the Rapid Support Forces with Chinese weapons, including "cannon-mounted wheeled armored vehicles and anti-aircraft guns AT-4," based on the analysis of remnants found after attacks in Khartoum and Darfur. In response, the army is increasingly focused on its air power, operating fighter jets. On Saturday, the army targeted sites belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in Nyala and Al-Geneina in the Darfur region, destroying weapon and military equipment stores, according to a military source.
The source, who requested anonymity, stated that "Sudanese army aircraft targeted locations for the Rapid Support Forces militias in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, and Al-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, destroying weapons and military equipment stores that the militias intended to use in their hostile actions." A witness in Nyala reported that "army aircraft targeted the city's airport and locations inside it," while in Al-Geneina, residents heard explosions from the airport area and reported seeing smoke rising.
The Rapid Support Forces have intensified their attacks on Darfur in recent weeks, resulting in dozens of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands from refugee camps such as Abu Shouk and Zamzam in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. Attacks on the Zamzam camp, which housed nearly a million people, have led to the flight of its residents, leaving it "almost empty," according to the United Nations. The Resistance Committees in El Fasher documented that, in the last week of April, more than 750 shells from "mortars, rockets, tanks, and heavy artillery" fell, describing it as a "bloody massacre against El Fasher and its defenseless residents." On Saturday, the committees stated that the bombardment of El Fasher continues daily "indiscriminately," causing residents to "live between shells without knowing what will surprise them in the next hour." El Fasher holds strategic importance in the war as it is the only major city in Darfur outside the control of the Rapid Support Forces, which besiege and attack its outskirts.
The United Nations and international observers warn of potential widespread atrocities. The escalation in Western and Central Sudan follows unprecedented drone attacks carried out by the Rapid Support Forces in recent days on Port Sudan (east), which the government has designated as a temporary headquarters since the war began, where international organizations, diplomatic missions, and hundreds of thousands of displaced people have relocated. The attacks have disrupted vital facilities, including a fuel depot and the main power station, as well as Port Sudan's international airport, which is considered "a lifeline for humanitarian operations," according to the UN.
The war, which has persisted since April 2023, has divided Sudan into areas of influence between former allies, army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The former controls central, eastern, and northern regions, including most of the capital, while the latter dominates most of Darfur (west) and parts of the south. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and the displacement of 13 million, with the UN deeming it one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.