Keypoints:
- Trump commits US role in Sudan war
- Saudi crown prince urged stronger action
- US seeks wider regional cooperation
US President Donald Trump has promised a renewed diplomatic effort to help end Sudan’s civil war, saying he was spurred into action following a direct appeal from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The president, who had previously said the conflict was not a priority for his administration, condemned ‘tremendous atrocities’ in a war the United Nations warns has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Speaking on Wednesday at a business forum attended by the Saudi crown prince, Trump admitted he had not been closely monitoring the fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.
‘His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,’ Trump told participants. ‘It was not on my charts to be involved in. I thought it was just something crazy and out of control. But I see how important it is to you and to a lot of your friends in the room. We’re going to start working on Sudan.’
The comments came a day after the Saudi leader received a lavish reception at the White House, highlighting the administration’s efforts to deepen its strategic partnership with Riyadh.
Sudan’s sovereign council welcomes US stance
Sudan’s Saudi-backed sovereign council, headed by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, welcomed Trump’s shift in tone. In a statement carried by state media, the council extended its thanks to both Washington and Riyadh for ‘their continued efforts to stop Sudanese bloodshed’.
Trump signalled that the new US approach would involve closer cooperation with regional powers, including the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has long denied Western accusations of supplying the RSF with weapons and mercenaries, but remains a central diplomatic actor in the Horn of Africa.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he intended to use ‘the influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt’ to the war, describing Sudan as ‘the most violent place on Earth’.
‘We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilising Sudan,’ he wrote.
Growing alarm over RSF advances
International concern has surged in recent weeks after the RSF captured El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still held by Sudan’s army. The fall of El-Fasher followed months of siege marked by ethnic violence and mass displacement, prompting warnings from UN experts of possible genocide and crimes against humanity.
The United Nations has repeatedly urged greater global attention to the crisis, saying the scale of displacement and hunger requires urgent international intervention. Massad Boulos, Trump’s special envoy for Africa, told AFP that Sudan represented ‘the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis’, underscoring the depth of the emergency.
Although the president had barely commented on Sudan since returning to office nine months ago, the State Department has quietly intensified diplomatic outreach. Last Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pressed the UAE’s foreign minister to support efforts to secure a ceasefire. Analysts say Washington’s approach has been overshadowed by its focus on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, leaving Sudan largely off the administration’s public agenda.
Trump positions himself as peacemaker
Trump’s renewed engagement also fits into a broader pattern: since returning to office in January, he has repeatedly claimed credit for resolving a series of international conflicts, reflecting his longstanding ambition to secure a Nobel Peace Prize.
His ties with Prince Mohammed have drawn scrutiny, particularly after Trump once again defended the Saudi leader over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said the crown prince ‘knew nothing’ about the killing — remarks that mirror positions he took during his previous term.
Still, diplomats say a genuine shift in US attention could reshape regional dynamics at a critical moment. With Sudan’s army losing ground, famine looming and the humanitarian situation deteriorating, sustained pressure from Washington and Gulf states may be one of the few paths to halting the fighting.
Whether Trump follows through on his pledge remains uncertain. But by responding directly to Saudi appeals, he has placed Sudan firmly back on the US diplomatic agenda and injected new momentum into efforts to end a war that has devastated one of Africa’s largest nations.
