Nairobi, July 17(Darfur24)
Eyewitnesses told Darfur24 that members of the Rapid Support Forces(RSF) began transporting crude oil from the Sofyan oil field east of El Daein, the capital of East Darfur State, in fuel tankers before heading west.
The eyewitness accounts corroborated statements from a military source who told Darfur24 that the crude oil looted from the Sofyan field was heading to Chad via the Adikong border crossing in West Darfur State.
He explained that the transport of crude oil caused sharp disagreements between the force deployed in the Sofyan oil field area and the Rapid Support Forces personnel transporting the crude oil to neighboring Chad.
He indicated that RSF’s high command dispatched a committee headed by Al-Fatih Qarashi, the official spokesman for the Rapid Support Forces, to the area last Sunday in an attempt to find a solution to the crisis.
The military source added that the committee chairman, Al-Fatih Qarshi, conveyed to the forces in the area the decision to appoint Amer Dashoun as the responsible commander of the oil fields in East Darfur State. He also briefed them on the importance of the oil fields to the Rapid Support Forces.
The source did not clarify whether the committee formed by the Rapid Support Forces leadership was there to prevent the transfer of crude oil or to ensure its implementation and regulate the process.
RSF control East Darfur State, which contains approximately (23) oil wells in the Sufyan, Sharif, and Al-Tarfiya fields, in addition to the Zarqa Umm Hadidah field, which is shared with West Kordofan State. These fields are known as “Block 6.”
According to data from the Sudanese Ministry of Energy, the wells in the Block 6 fields in East Darfur were producing at least three thousand barrels per day before the outbreak of war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15, 2023.
The oil fields in East Darfur State were subjected to widespread destruction and looting, with the two warring parties trading accusations of their destruction.
In May 2024, the Rapid Support Forces accused military intelligence of burning the Zarqa Umm Hadida oil field, coinciding with the destruction of the Jelei refinery in Khartoum. In turn, the military accused the Rapid Support Forces of looting and sabotaging oil fields.