Sudan’s main oil refinery set ablaze, army and paramilitary trade blame

Published 1:00 PM ET, Friday January 24, 2025

KHARTOUM: The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday accused each other of burning Sudan’s main oil refinery in the al-Jaili suburb north of Bahri city, Khartoum State.

On Wednesday, the SAF and allied forces controlled the Hajar al-Asal area in Nahr al-Neel (River Nile) State and achieved progress towards the al-Jaili oil refinery, according to eyewitnesses in Hajar al-Asal.

Huge columns of smoke were seen on Thursday morning rising over the al-Jaili Oil Refinery and covering the skies of Bahri and Omdurman, the two cities that border Khartoum, the Sudanese national capital, make up the greater Khartoum area, and sounds of weapons were also heard.

The SAF accused the RSF, in an official statement, of setting fire to the refinery, describing the action as criminal and malevolent act against the country and its people.

It said the RSF resorted to the arson after the army tightened the noose on it in all battle fronts.

On its part, the RSF issued a statement accusing the SAF of dropping barrel bombs on the refinery, leading to its total destruction.

It described the action as a war crime, stressing that it will continue in its “struggle to liberate Sudan from the grip of the extremist Islamic Movement.”

The development came amid recent escalation of confrontations between the SAF and RSF within the nearly two-year war, which left tens of thousands dead, millions displaced and resulted in large-scale destruction in infrastructures