A shift in American policy towards Sudan has seen Washington increase pressure on the warring sides to call a 90-day truce, so far without success.
Trapped in the logic of war
Among the leaders due to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday is Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. But the United States has refused to give him a visa unless he agrees to a 90-day humanitarian truce in Sudan’s civil war, something Burhan is unwilling to do because he thinks it favours the opposition Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
US senior adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos has been pushing for the ceasefire for months against the resistance of Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and its backers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The SAF has made gains on the battlefield recently at the expense of the RSF, a paramilitary force that has been accused of committing genocide in Darfur, and which has the support of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Burhan’s supporters accuse Boulos, whose son is married to Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany, of being too close to the Emiratis and of taking actions that benefit the RSF. They complain that the US is legitimising the RSF and treating it as an equal to Burhan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council, which is the internationally recognised government of Sudan.
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Washington appeared to confirm a shift in its policy towards Sudan in a statement from state department spokesman Tommy Pigott this week denouncing both sides for redoubling combat operations and drone strikes instead of accepting a truce.
“The United States and President Trump stand ready to work with anyone who is a serious partner for peace in Sudan. In the meantime, we will seek to raise the cost of continued conflict on all belligerents and the networks which fuel the conflict,” he said.
“Neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan – they rule through force of arms alone. The conduct of each leader of the warring factions renders them ineligible to govern the country. We seek to restore peace and give power back to the Sudanese people.”
The Trump administration’s new approach has put it at odds with the Saudis, who are reported to have protested against the denial of Burhan’s visa this week. One report said the Saudis even threatened to leave the Quad, a formation aimed at mediating an end to the conflict in Sudan which also includes the US, the UAE and Egypt.
The Quad met in New York on Wednesday along with the Quintet, which includes the UN, the African Union, the European Union, the Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional body covering the greater Horn of Africa. While the Quad tries to pause the fighting between the armed groups, the Quintet has focused on the civilian track, trying to map a future, powersharing government structure for Sudan.
Meanwhile, the human cost of the war continues to climb and the UN estimates that more than 150,000 have died in the conflict since April 2023, with almost nine million driven from their homes and almost 34 million in need of assistance. While the people suffer, the SAF and the RSF are trapped in the logic of war, with each battlefield gain encouraging one side or the other to postpone diplomacy until after the next offensive.
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