Al-Jaili Oil Refinery Fire Adds to the Humanitarian Crisis Caused by the Sudanese Civil War

On January 23rd, fighting in the Sudanese civil war set the country’s largest oil refinery, the al-Jaili, on fire. Satellite images captured by Planet Labs and analyzed by AP News revealed the fire . The al-Jaili refinery is located 40 miles north of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and co-owned by the Sudanese government and the Chinese National Petroleum Corporation. It can process 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The fires emitted huge clouds of smoke that the winds carried to Khartoum, which can cause respiratory issues and increase cancer risk for the city’s inhabitants.
Both sides of the conflict blame each other for this attack. According to Reuters, the Sudanese army claimed that “[t]he terrorist militia of Al-Dagalo deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in Al-Jaili… in a desperate attempt to destroy the infrastructures of this country.” Meanwhile, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) countered that “[t]he ongoing aerial bombardment of the refinery [by the army], the latest of which was this morning, which led to its destruction, represents a full-fledged war crime.”
Losing the refinery will have a major impact on Sudan’s economy, which will now have to rely on more imported fuel. Timothy Liptrot mentioned in a Small Arms Survey that “[a]s the conflict progresses, a norm that exists among the RSF and (the Sudanese military) against damaging Sudan’s accumulated capital is breaking down, with permanent damage to Sudan’s refining infrastructure becoming increasingly possible.” Attacking infrastructure will harm Sudan’s long-term development. But the destruction at the refinery is just the latest in a long line of atrocities committed during the war. The UN has blamed the Sudanese civil war for causing one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent times; over 28,000 people have been killed, 26 million people face severe food insecurity, 11.3 million people have been displaced (including 2.95 million forced to flee the country), there have been multiple disease outbreaks (including cholera, dengue fever, measles, malaria, rubella), and over 90% of children cannot go to formal schools.
The conflict is primarily between the Sudanese army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The RSF was founded as the organization Janjweed by the dictator Omar al-Bashir. It was a counterinsurgency militia against a rebellion in the Darfur region from political and economic strife. The ICC has since charged al-Bashir with genocide against ethnic African groups in Darfur. In 2019, Dagalo and Burhan teamed up to overthrow al-Bashir, but the democratic government that followed was short-lived. The civil war between the two factions broke out on April 15, 2023.
The most ideal solution would be to end the civil war and the massive strife that has resulted from it. Organizations like the UN should try to mediate peace talks between the two factions and encourage them to come to an agreement. Yet achieving this can take time, so in the meantime, it would be best if the army and the RSF refrained from attacking crucial locations to the Sudanese people. Infrastructure and locations near big cities should be avoided because they are crucial to a large number of people and have the potential to cause long-term harm. Environmental damage, such as the large amount of pollution created from the refinery fire, should also be avoided to prevent major health effects.
It seems unlikely that the damage and human rights abuses will stop until the civil war is over. Hopefully the army and the RSF recognize this and come to an agreement before doing more sustained harm to Sudan. Until then, it is important to spread awareness and advocate for peace before the humanitarian crisis gets worse.

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