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RSF Attacks Oilfields, Airport in West Kordofan

A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by AFP)
A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by AFP)
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RSF Attacks Oilfields, Airport in West Kordofan

A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by AFP)
A man stands by as a fire rages in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state, on September 1, 2023, in the aftermath of bombardment by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). (Photo by AFP)

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.

 

 

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US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Eases Restrictions on Syria While Keeping Sanctions in Place

A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A worker stands at a bakery after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 6, 2025. (Reuters)

The US on Monday eased some restrictions on Syria's transitional government to allow the entry of humanitarian aid after opposition factions ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month.

The US Treasury issued a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The move does not lift sanctions on the nation that has been battered by more than a decade of war, but indicates a limited show of US support for the new transitional government.

The general license underscores America's commitment to ensuring its sanctions “do not impede activities to meet basic human needs, including the provision of public services or humanitarian assistance,” a Treasury Department statement reads.

Since Assad's ouster, representatives from the nation's new de facto authorities have said that the new Syria will be inclusive and open to the world.

The US has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.

The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaeda, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad’s ouster. The US and UN have long designated HTS as a terrorist organization.

HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.

Much of the world ended diplomatic relations with Assad because of his crackdown on protesters, and sanctioned him and his Russian and Iranian associates.

Syria’s infrastructure has been battered, with power cuts rampant in the country and some 90% of its population living in poverty. About half the population won’t know where its next meal will come from, as inflation surges.

The pressure to lift sanctions has mounted in recent years as aid agencies continue to cut programs due to donor fatigue and a massive 2023 earthquake that rocked Syria and Türkiye. The tremor killed over 59,000 people and destroyed critical infrastructure that couldn’t be fixed due to sanctions and overcompliance, despite the US announcing some humanitarian exemptions.