Sudan’s Burhan Orders Oil Talks with Juba After Message from Kiir

14 December 2025

Sudan's Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reads a letter from South Sudan's President Salva Kiir during a meeting with South Sudanese Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs Tut Gatluak and Foreign Minister Mandi Semaya in Port Sudan, Sudan December 14, 2025.

December 14, 2025 (PORT SUDAN) – Sudan’s Sovereign Council President Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered officials on Sunday to engage with South Sudan on oil and energy issues after receiving a letter from President Salva Kiir.

The diplomatic exchange follows the deployment of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) to the Heglig oil field in West Kordofan on December 10. The move was part of a tripartite agreement between Burhan, Kiir, and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo to secure the vital infrastructure.

South Sudanese troops secured the field two days after the paramilitary RSF seized the area. The Sudanese army had evacuated its positions and withdrawn across the border into South Sudan, where soldiers were disarmed.

Tut Gatluak, South Sudan’s presidential security advisor, delivered Kiir’s letter to Burhan in Port Sudan.

Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Muawiya Osman said Burhan instructed ministries to initiate talks with their counterparts in Juba on energy, trade, and the economy, as well as on political relations.

South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mandi Semaya described the message as an expression of “brotherly relations.” He confirmed that the leaders agreed to hold technical meetings to address “issues of mutual concern,” including the oil industry and investment.