Full Analysis Summary
RSF captures Heglig oilfield
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced they captured Heglig, the country’s largest oil field and the main processing hub for crude from South Sudan, calling the takeover a turning point in their campaign and describing the seizure as "pivotal" for the economy.
Industry and local reports say RSF statements claimed they shut down nearby processing facilities, evacuated staff to South Sudan and pledged to protect engineers and infrastructure as fighting continued across Kordofan and Darfur.
Corporate and international responses were swift, with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) invoking force majeure, moving to terminate Sudan contracts and citing attacks, office shutdowns and evacuations.
Coverage Differences
Tone and emphasis
Dabanga (Other) presents the RSF claim and operational details and highlights UN and corporate warnings, while The Sun Malaysia (Other) emphasizes the RSF’s economic framing and the army’s stated withdrawal “to protect facilities.” Daily Sabah (West Asian) situates the capture within broader military advances and uses the term “escalating fighting,” stressing both the military and economic significance.
Heglig capture economic impact
Heglig's capture carries clear economic implications.
The field is described repeatedly as the main processing hub for South Sudan's oil exports, and the pipeline to Port Sudan feeds vital revenue into an already collapsed Sudanese economy.
Industry sources and former officials warned of immediate disruption, with The Sun quoting former oil minister Gadein Ali Obeid calling the loss a 'disaster' and flagging that Sudan has lost its two main oil-producing regions.
CNPC's invocation of force majeure signals longer-term contractual and operational fallout.
Coverage Differences
Narrative focus (economic vs. operational)
The Sun Malaysia (Other) foregrounds economic consequences and quotes a former oil minister calling the loss a “disaster,” framing the event in national-economic terms. Dabanga (Other) also highlights commercial fallout through CNPC’s force majeure and contract termination, while Daily Sabah (West Asian) pairs economic language (“pivotal step”) with emphasis on how the capture escalates fighting, blending economic and military framing.
RSF advances in Sudan
Militarily, sources describe the capture as part of a broader RSF advance that has shifted control maps across Sudan.
The Sun reports the army says it withdrew to "protect facilities," leaving the RSF holding the west and much of the south while the army holds the north, east and centre.
Dabanga documents additional RSF claims across West Kordofan, including Babanusa and the SAF’s 22nd Infantry Division headquarters.
Dabanga also warns of RSF activity in Abyei that has driven up crime and produced reports of detained UN peacekeepers and looted UN convoys.
Daily Sabah frames the move as the latest after the RSF’s ousting of the army from Darfur and the advance into Kordofan.
Coverage Differences
Contradiction/attribution
The Sun Malaysia (Other) reports the army’s statement that it withdrew “to protect facilities,” attributing the withdrawal to the army’s own narrative. Dabanga (Other) reports UNISFA warnings about RSF unauthorised presence and alleged abuses, which casts the RSF presence in a more problematic light. Daily Sabah (West Asian) frames these events as part of a continuing RSF campaign that previously ousted army positions, stressing escalation.
Heglig capture and fallout
Corporate and international actors reacted by halting operations and flagging security and legal risk.
Dabanga reports CNPC’s force majeure and contract termination efforts and describes staff evacuations into South Sudan.
UNISFA warned that RSF unauthorised presence had driven up crime and illegal checkpoints.
The Sun stresses how losing Heglig threatens Sudan’s already collapsed economy and vital export pipeline.
Daily Sabah highlights how the capture follows successive RSF gains, noting the broader pattern of escalation rather than isolated economic disruption.
Coverage Differences
Missed information / emphasis
Dabanga (Other) provides operational, corporate and UN security details (CNPC action, staff evacuation, UNISFA warnings). The Sun Malaysia (Other) concentrates on the macroeconomic fallout and political geography of control, while Daily Sabah (West Asian) links the capture to a pattern of RSF territorial gains and conflict escalation — each source emphasizes different implications: corporate/legal, economic, and military/human-security respectively.
Humanitarian impact in Abyei
Humanitarian concerns and allegations of abuses accompany the strategic and economic fallout.
Dabanga cites UNISFA warnings that the RSF's unauthorised presence in Abyei has driven up crime and illegal checkpoints, and reports earlier allegations that RSF fighters detained UN peacekeepers, abducted civilians, and looted a UN convoy.
Daily Sabah's coverage places the seizure alongside recent deadly incidents, noting that a drone strike on a kindergarten and hospital killed 114 people, including 63 children, according to WHO reporting.
These reports underline how the wider conflict is producing severe civilian harm even as combatants fight over resources.
Coverage Differences
Tone and severity
Dabanga (Other) foregrounds UNISFA warnings and specific allegations of abuses and looting tied to RSF movements, giving a security and rights-focused account. Daily Sabah (West Asian) stresses civilian casualty figures from a recent drone strike to underline humanitarian severity. The Sun Malaysia (Other) focuses more on territorial control and economic loss, and includes RSF assurances to protect infrastructure — a more operational/political framing that gives less space to allegations of abuses.