Saudi Arabia urges Al-Burhan to exercise restraint for a solution in Sudan
Saudi Arabia and the United States are mediating decisively in Sudan to reach a solution to the Sudanese civil war between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti.
At the end of a visit to Saudi Arabia and talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said he was willing to work with US President Donald Trump to resolve the conflict ravaging his country.
The Port Sudan Foreign Ministry announced Burhan's position in a statement it released after the Sudanese army chief visited Riyadh as a guest of the Saudi crown prince.
During a recent trip to Washington, Mohammed bin Salman asked Trump to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The US president responded that he would.
According to Sudan's statement, Burhan praised Trump's ‘determination to participate in efforts to achieve peace and end the war in the country, with the participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.’
‘He affirmed Sudan's interest in working with President Trump, his Secretary of State and his envoy for peace in Sudan to achieve this undoubtedly noble goal,’ he said, referring to Marco Rubio and US envoy Massad Boulos.
International peace efforts are led by mediators from the so-called Quad, comprising the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Mediation efforts have stalled since Burhan rejected the latest framework suggested by Boulos and agreed upon by the Quad.
The Quad called for a civilian government in Sudan and warned against the role played by Islamist militants, who support the army in the war against the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary forces.
Al-Burhan rejected any idea that the army would abandon politics after the war and accused the mediators of taking sides and, in particular, of adopting the talking points of the United Arab Emirates, which he constantly accuses of backing the RSF.
The RSF claims to support the international ceasefire plan, but heavy fighting continues, particularly in the southern region of Kordofan.
No new date for talks has been announced at this stage, either under US-led mediation or through a parallel effort led by the United Nations.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the army, which controls the north and east of the country, and the Rapid Support Forces, which dominate the west and parts of the south.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and triggered what the UN calls ‘the world's worst humanitarian crisis’.
