Khartoum oil refinery engulfed in flames as firefighting resources dwindle

June 21, 2024 (AL-JAILI) – A devastating fire has raged for two days at the Khartoum Oil Refinery, which is currently under the control of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Reports indicate that firefighting materials used by the Civil Defense have been depleted.

Since November of last year, the refinery, located in the Al-Jaili area approximately 70 kilometers north of Khartoum, has been subjected to shelling. The Sudanese army has not claimed responsibility for targeting the strategic facility.

The initial attack on the refinery occurred in November, with both sides in the conflict exchanging accusations regarding responsibility for the resulting explosions. In late May, the RSF accused the army of bombing and completely destroying the facility.

However, eyewitnesses from the northern countryside of Omdurman, speaking to Sudan Tribune, assert that the fires that have been burning since last Wednesday evening are the most extensive to date. The refinery is situated on the eastern bank of the Nile, roughly 20 kilometers away.

Sources close to the site report that the fire has engulfed a storage facility for Nile Blend crude oil originating from the Heglig field in West Kordofan State. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

These sources also indicate that the “foam” extinguishing agent used by Civil Defense teams at the refinery has been exhausted due to the frequency of fires and the limited supply of this specialized material.

Civil activists have voiced concerns about the environmental consequences of the intensifying oil storage fires in the region, calling for the evacuation of workers and their families from the housing adjacent to the refinery.

It is important to note that the Oil Sector Workers’ Union stated in a May 24 press release that the refinery has been out of service and non-operational since mid-July 2023. Nevertheless, workers, engineers, and administrators continue to report for duty daily, and some families still reside in the refinery’s barracks.

The statement also mentioned that the Rapid Support Forces had detained some administrators, who were later released.

The union appealed to the army leadership to act responsibly, safeguard infrastructure assets, and consider the sensitivity and inherent danger of oil installations to both people and the environment.

The Khartoum Oil Refinery is the largest in Sudan, established in 1997 with a design capacity of 100,000 barrels per day. It produces diesel, gasoline, and cooking gas, supplying 45% of the country’s oil needs.

The refinery is connected via a 1610-kilometer pipeline to the Bashayer port on the Red Sea for export purposes. It also receives crude oil from wells in West Kordofan and South Sudan. However, the ongoing war and the RSF’s control of certain oil fields have significantly reduced crude oil supply and halted oil exports from South Sudan.

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