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Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
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Sudan Suspends Khartoum Oil Refinery Operations over Technical Issues

The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)
The Khartoum Refinery (SUNA)

The Khartoum Refinery went out of service due to a malfunction in one of its largest units that generates electricity, the Energy Ministry announced Wednesday.

This comes two weeks after completing the annual periodic maintenance, which took two months, amid fears that the malfunction will cause a fuel crisis.

“All operations at Khartoum Refinery units were halted in emergency over safety risks,” said Director-General of Khartoum Refinery Mahjoub Hassan Abdel Qader.

He affirmed that the facility will resume working as soon as possible, noting that the malfunction is minor and can be fixed.

The ministry has secured the fuel supply so that the consumer sectors in the country are not affected, he added.

Abdel Qader also denied rumors claiming that fire broke out, stressing that the refinery will operate again more efficiently within four days.

The refinery produces 70 percent of domestic fuel, 48 percent of gasoline and 50 percent of gas production for domestic consumption.

The production capacity of the refinery, after completing its maintenance in early March, amounted to 800 tons of gas, 3,000 tons of fuel and 5,000 tons of gasoline.

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China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
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China Vows Tougher Action against Smuggling of Strategic Minerals

A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
A woman holds an umbrella to shelter from the sun walks along a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

China vowed on Saturday to step up a crackdown and toughen law enforcement against smuggling of strategic minerals seen as vital to national security and critical for development.

The remarks by the commerce ministry came a day after the state security ministry accused foreign spy agencies of having tried to "steal" rare earths and pledged to crack down on infiltration and espionage targeting the critical sector.

The world's largest supplier of dozens of strategic minerals, China began imposing export curbs in 2023 on supplies vital to sectors ranging from chipmaking and the energy transition to defense.

The commerce ministry remarks, describing smuggling and export of strategic minerals as a severe problem to be combated, came at a meeting of officials responsible for export control coordination and other government bodies.

"Cases of smuggling by a small number of criminals for their own selfish interests and collusion between domestic and foreign parties are still occurring," it said in a statement.

Evasive methods such as false declarations and third-country transshipment were taking on increasingly covert forms, it added, urging government bodies to prevent illegal outflows of strategic minerals and related technologies.

China has adopted a "zero-tolerance" approach to smuggling and export of strategic minerals, which it will fight with a heavy hand, through special efforts to toughen law enforcement, the ministry said.

In May China said it would strengthen controls on the entire supply chains of strategic mineral exports while tightening its grip on materials deemed crucial to national interest.

Earlier, Beijing launched a special campaign to tackle smuggling of strategic minerals such as gallium, germanium, antimony, tungsten and some rare earths.