https://sudantribune.com/article300736/
May 10, 2025 (JUBA) – Sudan has directed oil companies to begin shutting down the pipeline that carries crude oil from South Sudan for export, citing repeated attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on oil infrastructure, according to an official letter.
The instruction, dated May 9, 2025, and signed by Mohhieddien Naiem Mohamed Saied, undersecretary of Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, was addressed to Deng Lual Wol, his counterpart in South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum.
A copy of the letter, seen by the Sudan Tribune, stated that persistent attacks in Sudan have caused “grave losses in both national economies and the foreign investors.” It highlighted nearly eighteen months of deferred production and the costs associated with restarting oil fields and transportation systems.
The Sudanese government attributed the move to recent drone attacks allegedly launched by the “RSF and its backers against civilian infrastructure,” which it said have targeted oil facilities and impacted Sudan’s ability to manage export operations.
Specifically, the letter detailed a drone attack in the early hours of May 9 on PETCO’s pump station number 5 in Al-Hudi, which reportedly resulted in “grave damage.” The ministry warned of a “very high” risk to export operations, noting the station’s crucial role.
It further cited a drone attack on May 8 on a diesel depot in White Nile state used by BAPCO (Bashayer Pipeline Company) for its operations.
“Ports and airports which were being used by PETCO and BAPCO to import crucial materials currently have pending shipments of critical chemicals which they are unable to receive,” the letter stated. It also mentioned that attacks on electricity substations have caused power outages at maritime terminals, affecting their capacity to load crude oil simultaneously, and that assaults on fuel depots threaten critical fuel shortages for transportation systems.
As a result, Sudan has “instructed both PETCO and BAPCO to deliver a fast-track roadmap to enable us to shut down the facilities,” the letter read, adding that the plan would be implemented if attacks jeopardizing the facilities continued.
By Saturday, South Sudan, which relies heavily on the pipeline for its oil exports, had not issued a formal statement.
A technical adviser at South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Sudan Tribune on Saturday that the letter was received on Friday, May 9, which he noted was not an official working day in Sudan and the last working day in South Sudan.
“We have not had the opportunity to come together and study the letter’s content. If there is a response, it will be on Monday through official channels,” the adviser further said.
Another South Sudanese official at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, also speaking anonymously, suggested to the Sudan Tribune that Khartoum might be using the security situation as leverage to increase oil transit fees.
(ST)