Comments by U.S. President Donald Trump on working to end the war in Sudan have triggered wide reactions in the conflict-torn country, with many observers seeing them as the first real sign of renewed attention from Washington to Sudan’s crisis.
Trump said he would begin working to halt the conflict after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked him to intervene. Speaking at an investment conference in Saudi Arabia a day after meeting the crown prince at the White House, Trump said his administration began looking into the issue “half an hour” after the request was made during their Tuesday meeting.
His remarks fuelled a rare sense of optimism among Sudanese political actors, who hope a potential U.S. role – in coordination with Saudi Arabia and other regional players – could help stop the fighting between General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
TASIS / RSF-aligned reactions
Sudanese media reported that the RSF-aligned Sudan Founding Alliance (“TASIS”), which runs a civilian “Government of Peace” from Nairobi, also issued a response welcoming Trump’s remarks on ending the war.
Allied commentators framed the move as vindication of TASIS’s argument that the conflict cannot be resolved militarily and must end in a negotiated political settlement in which the RSF-led administration is recognised as a principal party.
In earlier statements responding to U.S.- and Quad-backed proposals for a humanitarian ceasefire, TASIS said it supported a nationwide halt to hostilities, urgent humanitarian corridors and impartial investigations into all violations “away from politicisation and media spin” – positions that diplomats expect it to echo in any formal reaction to Trump’s initiative.
The Port Sudan administration on Wednesday welcomed “the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America to bring about a just and equitable peace in Sudan,” thanking both countries for their “ongoing efforts to stop the shedding of Sudanese blood” and saying it stood ready to engage seriously with them in pursuit of the peace Sudanese citizens have long awaited.
In a post on X, the head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, wrote: “Thank you, Your Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, thank you President Donald Trump.”
The “Samood” (Steadfastness) alliance led by former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said in a statement that Trump’s comments were “an indication of the return of serious international engagement” that could help end the tragedy in Sudan by stopping the war and establishing credible arrangements for peace.
The alliance said the U.S. position could inject new momentum into the work of the international Quad mechanism on Sudan and help push for an urgent humanitarian truce that would halt attacks on civilians, allow aid to reach those in need and reopen a path towards a serious political process leading to comprehensive and sustainable peace.
The National Umma Party likewise described the latest developments as a positive step that could strengthen international efforts to end the suffering of the Sudanese people and put a stop to the violence and destruction threatening the country’s unity and future.
War erupted in Sudan in 2023 amid a power struggle between the SAF and the RSF, shortly before a planned transition to civilian rule. The conflict has unleashed ethnically targeted killings, widespread destruction and mass displacement, drawn in foreign actors and raised fears of Sudan’s fragment.
