South Sudan resumes oil exports after drone attacks halt pipeline flow
November 19, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Deng Lol Wol, announced on Wednesday the full resumption of the country’s crude oil exports to Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, following a stoppage that lasted several days.
Oil exports were interrupted after a drone attack targeted the Juba oil processing facility in Al Jailyin, White Nile State, on November 15, two days after the central processing facility in Heglig suffered a similar attack.
Deng Lol Wol stated in a press release that there was a “full resumption of the transportation, export of crude oil, following a temporary halt due to a drone attack on critical infrastructure in Heglig, Al Jailyin.”
He noted that oil is now being exported normally from South Sudan through dedicated pipelines to the export terminal on the Red Sea coast. The official reaffirmed Juba’s commitment to protecting its vital oil assets, maintaining the stability of its oil production, which is a cornerstone of the country’s economy.
South Sudan’s economy relies heavily on oil revenues, which pass through pipelines crossing Sudan in exchange for transit fees, with Chinese companies managing the oil fields.
The attack launched on Heglig in West Kordofan State on November 13 resulted in the death of three workers and damaged the central processing facility’s laboratory, forcing workers to stop operations. The drone attack carried out on Saturday at the Al Jailyin oil refining station in White Nile State led to the death of one engineer and injuries to others. The operating company promptly activated emergency procedures, shut down operating systems, and evacuated personnel.
The Heglig field, located in South Kordofan State, comprises 75 oil wells, includes a central processing facility for 130,000 barrels of South Sudanese oil, which is produced in the fields of Southern Unity State, exported via Sudanese territory.
The halting of operations represents a loss of most of South Sudan’s foreign currency revenues, as oil constitutes 90% of its income, and a loss for Sudan of approximately 21,000 barrels of crude oil and transit/export fees estimated at over $1 million daily.
South Sudan had resumed oil exports through Sudanese territory last May after a halt of nearly a year due to security conditions, military operations in the Kordofan, Darfur regions.