South Kordofan: Rhino – Army forces launched an attack on Tuesday using a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akangi drone on the Heglig oil field, killing and injuring dozens, including leaders of the local administration and soldiers from the South Sudanese army’s protection and security forces, according to a statement issued today by the Rapid Support Forces.
The statement reads: “Today, Tuesday, the Muslim Brotherhood army launched a terrorist attack with a Turkish-made Akinci drone on the Heglig oil field with the aim of destroying it, one day after our forces took control of the strategic field, killing and injuring dozens of engineers and workers in the field and a number of local administration leaders, in addition to dozens of soldiers from the South Sudanese Army’s Protection and Security Force and Rapid Support Forces, as well as the destruction of a number of vital facilities.”
The statement added: “As we condemn this terrorist attack that targeted the Heglig oil field and killed dozens of people, we affirm that this act of aggression is a flagrant violation of international laws and norms and a direct threat to security and stability in the region. We affirm that such actions reflect the frustration and collapse suffered by the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood army due to the daily defeats it suffers at the hands of our forces.”
It continued: “Our forces are aware of the danger of complacency in the face of these attacks and the direct risks they pose to the security of the oil facility, which is a shared economic artery on which the brotherly people of South Sudan depend for the flow of their oil through Sudanese territory.”
The statement called on the international community, led by the United Nations and the Security Council, to assume their full responsibilities “to condemn this brutal attack” and put an immediate end to such hostile acts, which constitute a flagrant violation of the humanitarian truce declared by the Rapid Support Forces.
It added: “Our forces affirm their ability to provide full protection for the field, ensure the protection of civilians, and secure all its facilities against any future attacks. They warn the Muslim Brotherhood army against continuing these barbaric attacks and affirm their adherence to their inherent right to respond and defend themselves against any attack targeting our forces or vital installations.”
