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July 18, 2024 (Juba) – Oil security took center stage during a meeting between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, deputy commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), on Wednesday.
South Sudanese officials revealed they had received reliable information that the Rapid Security Forces might launch an offensive against oil-producing areas, particularly Heglig, after the Sudanese Armed Forces abandoned a military post in Abyei, further fuelling concerns.
The Rapid Security Forces leadership has also reportedly demanded protection money from oil companies and the government, further exacerbating economic pressures in South Sudan.
While it is unclear whether the meeting resulted in an agreement, sources at the oil and finance ministries acknowledged that payments had previously been made to the RSF as part of security arrangements to maintain oil flows in areas under its control.
The meeting, held behind closed doors in Juba and attended by Ethiopian Chief of General Staff Birhanu Jula Geralcha, was aimed at engaging all parties to Sudan’s conflict and promoting a peaceful solution.
President Kiir stressed the need for a peaceful solution to allow for mediation and the provision of humanitarian aid, presidential sources revealed.
The meeting follows a series of engagements between the RSF leadership and regional officials amid escalating violence in Sudan, particularly in Sennar state.
The offensive displaced civilians and severed the White Nile and Blue Nile states, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.
(English stone)
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