Trump Envoy Holds Talks with Sudan Army Chief in Cairo

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – A special envoy of President Donald Trump held talks with Sudan’s army chief in Egypt over the weekend, as Washington and other mediators continue pushing to end a brutal conflict that has sparked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

• “We also reaffirm the United States’ continued efforts, alongside our Egyptian partners and our other regional and international partners and allies, to advance a political solution to the crisis,” US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos wrote on X on Monday, describing his meeting with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

• The meeting came less than two weeks after Washington denied a visa to the Sudanese army chief ahead of a planned UN appearance, a move Sudanese and other sources said was tied to a US-backed ceasefire proposal that Khartoum has resisted.

• Sudan’s army has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, when the two sides clashed over the integration of their forces in a planned transition to civilian rule.

• The US State Department said last month that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces, nor either of their leaders “represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.”

• The conflict has displaced more than 14 million people and triggered widespread ethnically motivated killings.

• “The United States stands ready to support all efforts leading to a comprehensive dialogue among the Sudanese political forces, leading to a preliminary road map of the future of the Sudan,” Boulos said on Monday.

• Washington has accused the RSF of committing genocide and the army of carrying out war crimes. Both sides have previously denied the allegations.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

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