The Sudanese government and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reach out to Trump to stop the war
- Trump's announcement on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan
- Involvement of the main actors in the conflict
- Responses from Sudanese leaders and paramilitaries
- International concern and war crimes
- US statements and efforts for international cooperation
- Main issues to be resolved in the Sudanese crisis
Trump's announcement on the humanitarian crisis in Sudan
‘The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is the largest in history.’ These were the words with which US President Donald Trump announced that he would accept the request of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) to take part in negotiations with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to halt the crisis between the government in Sudan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
All this took place within the framework of the US-Saudi Investment Forum, as part of MBS's first official visit to the United States since 2018.
Involvement of the main actors in the conflict
Trump's announcement has brought together all the main actors in the conflict, who have expressed their gratitude and willingness to establish dialogue to resolve the humanitarian crisis ravaging the country.
‘I had no plans to get involved; I thought it was crazy and out of control, but now I understand how important Sudan is to you. We are going to start working on Sudan,’ Trump concluded in his speech at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, and hours later he reposted it on his social network Truth Social.
Responses from Sudanese leaders and paramilitaries
Hours later, the Sudanese government said in a statement that ‘The Government of Sudan welcomes the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the US to achieve a just and equitable peace in Sudan.’
At the same time, Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris said on his Twitter account that he would be fully prepared to work with Trump and Bin Salman to achieve ‘peace, security, stability and prosperity for the Sudanese people.’
Similarly, the leader of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, also signalled his willingness to end the conflict with the help of Donald Trump and Mohamed bin Salman.
On behalf of the FAR paramilitaries, the leader's right-hand man and senior adviser, Elbasha Tibeig, has assured that they welcome the words of Trump and Bin Salman and have expressed their concern for the 13 million Sudanese who are being displaced from their homes and the situation they have found themselves in since 15 April 2023, when the conflict began.
International concern and war crimes
In addition, humanitarian organisations and the United Nations have pointed out that the priority of the negotiations should focus on the situation of the millions of people who are at risk of malnutrition and acute food insecurity.
They have also made it clear that all cases of war crimes and atrocities taking place in cities such as Kumia, where satellite images from Google Maps showing hundreds of dead bodies have gone viral on social media, or the destruction of numerous aircraft at the country's main airports, will be prosecuted.
US statements and efforts for international cooperation
Expressing the views of Arab world leaders and in line with statements by Massad Boulos, Trump's special envoy for Africa, the American president stressed that he will do everything possible to ensure that a country ‘with a great civilisation and culture’ can be ‘reformed through international cooperation led by the United States’.
This has been a common mechanism for the White House in recent times, as it is expected to follow the same ‘modus operandi’ as in the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, which could this time help the New York tycoon achieve his long-awaited Nobel Peace Prize.
Main issues to be resolved in the Sudanese crisis
However, beyond President Trump's possible intentions, the establishment of a ceasefire and an end to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan were always presented as the two main issues to be resolved at this time.
In the nearly two years that the conflict has been going on, there have been several attempts by those involved and by international institutions to end the war. The closest the conflict has come to ending was with the proposal of the ‘Quartet Roadmap for the Resolution of the Sudanese Crisis’ – composed of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States and the United Arab Emirates – but the government of Port Sudan, one of the parties involved in the Roadmap, rejected it on the grounds that the imposed borders ‘did not benefit the Sudanese people’.
Sudanese authorities accept that this Plan is the most serious basis on which to establish dialogue tables which, although they do not stop the war, do allow Sudanese citizens to receive humanitarian aid and have some protection from both sides.