Sudanese political analyst Mohamed Latif has questioned whether army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s message to US President Donald Trump signals a genuine shift towards peace, suggesting the move is intended to ease mounting American pressure and buy time.
Burhan announced on Thursday that he had sent a message to Trump reaffirming his military-backed government’s commitment to US-led peace efforts and expressing readiness to cooperate with all parties towards a negotiated settlement.
However, the Sudanese army chief stopped short of explicitly accepting Washington’s proposed 90-day humanitarian truce, raising doubts about whether his diplomatic overture represents a meaningful change in policy.
Speaking to the Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Latif said Burhan was facing growing domestic and international pressure over his leadership, including criticism of his government’s failure to protect civilians and allegations involving the use of chemical weapons.
The analyst also pointed to what he described as Egyptian attacks, Burhan’s relationship with Islamist political forces and Washington’s increasingly firm position towards Sudan’s military leadership.
Latif argued that these developments had placed Burhan under considerable political strain, making his outreach to Trump an attempt to contain the growing crisis rather than a decisive move towards ending the war.
He expressed scepticism that Burhan would suddenly abandon his military strategy in favour of negotiations, suggesting the army chief was seeking to reduce American pressure while waiting for battlefield or political developments that could strengthen his position.
The assessment comes amid growing US efforts to secure a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan, where fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has continued since April 2023.
Washington has proposed a 90-day humanitarian truce as part of broader diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and facilitate desperately needed assistance to civilians.
Despite Burhan’s stated willingness to cooperate with the United States, his administration has yet to publicly commit to the proposed truce.
