Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers with their military logistics surrender to SSPDF in Panakuach. |File Photo|.
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
Several Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) fighters surrendered their weapons to the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) following the fall of the strategic Heglig oilfield into the hands of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Monday, 8 December 2025.
Heglig, the strategic oilfield in Western Kordofan, houses a central processing facility that handles 130,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil from South Sudan for export.
SAF claimed that we withdrew to South Sudan to safeguard the critical oil facility from damage. They surrendered their heavy military weapons, including tanks, vehicles mounted with machine guns, and several AK-47 rifles, and many soldiers.
This recent advancement at Heglig follows the capture of the army’s 22nd Infantry Division in Babanusa earlier this month, which was briefly disputed by both the SAF and RSF.
The SSPDF Deputy Chief of Defence for Mobilisation and Disarmament, Lt. Col. John Olony, confirmed the surrender of the SAF fighters to the SSPDF in Panakuach border town, in Unity State.
“The SAF forces are now here in Panakuach with us. They have surrendered all their weapons, including tanks and other military machinery,” Olony stated.
“We welcome them with all their weapons, and it is now up to President Salva Kiir and his brother, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to agree on the next step. We are still together as one people in the two countries. Soon, we shall march to take control of Heglig to protect the oil facilities,” he added.
Gen. Olony reaffirmed the commitment of the SSPDF to remain neutral in the ongoing conflict in the neighbouring Sudan.
The RSF confirmed the capture of the Hehlig oilfield and pledged to protect the oil installations and the communities along the oilfield.
In a statement, the RSF described the Sudan Armed Forces as the ‘Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Army,’ describing the seizure of the Heglig as a significant milestone in their armed liberation struggle.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to securing and protecting the vital oil facilities in the area to safeguard the interests of the brotherly people of the Republic of South Sudan, who rely heavily on oil resources that flow through Sudanese territory to the global market,” the statement read.
