RSF Attacks Oilfields, Airport in West Kordofan

A fire rages at a livestock market in Sudan's North Darfur state this month after bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (Photograph: AFP/Getty Images)

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said on Monday they had launched attacks on oil-rich West Kordofan province in an attempt to fully seize the province.

The attacks targeted the biggest oilfields in Heglig and Balila and the main airport in the city.

This coincided with another attack on the city of Zalingei, the capital of the state of Central Darfur.

This escalation comes days after Saudi Arabia, the US, the African Union, and IGAD announced resuming negotiations between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Jeddah.

It also comes days after the RSF fully seized the city of Nyala, the capital of the state of South Darfur and the second strategic city in terms of military and economy in western Sudan.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Sudanese Air Force launched intensive raids on the RSF forces in the vicinity of the oilfields and the airport after the withdrawal of civilian workers.

Sources from the region didn’t confirm that the RSF seized the oilfields, and no official comment was made by the army regarding the military operations in West Kordofan.

Local sources reported that the attack started Monday morning.

On RSF's official X account, a statement read that the forces managed to liberate the airport of Balila and made the army forces suffer heavy losses in lives and equipment.

The airport is located 55 km from the city of Al Fula, the capital of West Kordofan State.

Moreover, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum revealed in its most recent data that the Balila oilfield produces around 16,000 barrels per day and is run in partnership with a Chinese company.