The South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have confirmed that they disarmed a group of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers who crossed the border into Paan Akuach following fierce clashes around the contested Heglig/Panthou oil region.
Lieutenant General Johnson Olony, SSPDF Assistant Chief for Mobilization and Disarmament, told reporters that dozens of SAF soldiers fled toward South Sudan after a heavy exchange of fire with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) inside Sudan’s Southern Kordofan region.
“We have received the troops, disarmed them, and they are now awaiting orders,” Gen. Olony said. “South Sudan will not take sides. Our responsibility is to protect our land, our people, and our national assets. We remain neutral in the Sudan war but are ready to prevent any destabilization from crossing our borders.”
He said the SAF soldiers will be relocated with their weapons held securely once directives are issued by President Salva Kiir and Sudan’s military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Military officials confirmed that SSPDF has deployed additional forces to secure the Heglig–Panthou corridor, one of the country’s most sensitive and economically strategic zones.
SSPDF Chief of Staff Gen. Dr. Paul Nang is currently in Ruweng, overseeing on-the-ground assessments, coordinating with local leaders, and ensuring the safe handling of the disarmed SAF personnel.
Officials stress that the soldiers were received on humanitarian grounds, in line with international law, and are being held in secure areas to prevent infiltration by foreign combatants or opportunistic groups.
The border crossing comes just days after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly seized control of Heglig, the country’s largest oil hub and the lifeline of South Sudan’s crude exports.
An engineer at the site said all staff were forced to evacuate into South Sudan as RSF fighters advanced.
The Heglig field located in Southern Kordofan is a vital processing and export center for South Sudan’s oil, which accounts for nearly all government revenue. Production was immediately halted following the takeover.
In a statement, RSF claimed it entered Heglig after the “withdrawal” of the Sudanese army, describing the capture as a historic milestone.
Videos posted online allegedly show RSF fighters in the oil fields, though these could not be independently verified. Sudan’s army and Energy Ministry have not yet commented on the situation.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a devastating conflict between the regular army and the RSF, killing tens of thousands, displacing over 12 million, and crippling key infrastructure.
Heglig has become a flashpoint, with both sides battling for control of the strategic oil corridor.
Just last week, a drone strike blamed on the RSF hit a kindergarten and hospital in Southern Kordofan, killing dozens, including children. In October, RSF forces pushed the army out of Western Darfur, tightening pressure on Sudan’s military leadership.
Today, Sudan is effectively divided, the army controls the north, east, and central regions and the RSF controls the west and much of the south.
Civil society leader Edmund Yakani, Executive Director of CEPO, warned that the fall of Heglig could trigger a severe economic shock for South Sudan.
“RSF controlling Heglig means a lot for South Sudan’s economy and for our relationship with Khartoum,” he said. “The oil exit point is now under a force whose future intentions we do not fully know.”
Yakani urged President Kiir’s government to use its position as IGAD’s special envoy on Sudan to push harder for dialogue between the warring Sudanese factions.
“Both Sudan and South Sudan are paying the price for military solutions to political crises,” he said. “Dialogue—not confrontation—is the only way to prevent further suffering.”
Meanwhile, South Sudan’s government has reiterated that it will remain strictly neutral in the Sudanese war but will take all necessary measures to protect its borders, communities, and vital oil infrastructure.
With tension rising across the frontier and more SAF soldiers expected to flee toward South Sudan if clashes intensify, SSPDF officials say their deployment will remain on high alert.
