What happened

Sudan's roughly 100,000 bbl/d Al-Jaili refinery north of Khartoum stopped operating in October 2023 as fighting made normal operation impossible. In May 2024, the RSF accused Sudanese military aircraft of repeated strikes that damaged crude-transfer lines and several refinery facilities and caused fires; the military did not publicly substantiate or answer those specific claims in the reviewed report. Despite those earlier episodes, Associated Press analysis said the complex remained broadly intact until fighting on 23–24 January 2025 set vast areas ablaze. Satellite imagery showed multiple fires, burned tanks and thick smoke over the capital as the Sudanese Armed Forces recaptured the site. The military accused the RSF of deliberately setting the refinery on fire, while the RSF accused military aircraft of dropping barrel bombs; neither side supplied evidence resolving responsibility. The refinery was left unable to operate and required a full engineering assessment. This broadened record preserves the earlier reported damage while treating the January 2025 blaze as the independently imaged catastrophic event.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.