US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would work to help bring an end to the war in Sudan, after he was asked to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking during a Saudi investment conference in Washington, Mr Trump said he began looking into the issue after Prince Mohammed explained the conflict and its origins.
“His Majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan,” Mr Trump said.
“It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control. But I just see how important that is to you and to a lot of your friends in the room, Sudan, and we're going to start working in Sudan.”
Saudi Arabia is a member of the Quad group, which also includes the US, UAE and Egypt, working to find a solution to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump later said the US would work with the group to end the conflict.
“Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan,” he wrote. “It has become the most violent place on Earth and, likewise, the single biggest humanitarian crisis.”
Sudan's army and the rival Rapid Support Forces continue to engage in fierce combat in several locations in Kordofan, with the paramilitary group believed to be close to seizing a major city in the region's western part.
The RSF has laid siege to Babanusa for more than a year, with troops from the army's 22nd Infantry Division fending off repeated attempts to dislodge them, including a major attack this week.
Tens of thousands are believed to have been killed in the conflict, the latest in a series of civil wars that have plagued Sudan since its independence in 1956.
Prince Mohammed “explained the whole culture and the whole history”, Mr Trump said. “It was very interesting to hear, really amazing actually to hear, and, you know, we've already started working on that.”
Massad Boulos, senior adviser to Mr Trump on Africa, said in a post on X that the US was “committed to ending the horrific conflict”.
“We are working with our partners to facilitate a humanitarian truce,” he said.
The international community, including the US, has imposed sanctions on senior Sudanese military and paramilitary officials, accusing them of war crimes, atrocities and other actions that have destabilised the country.
Sudan signed the Abraham Accords with Israel in 2021.
Mr Trump hosted Prince Mohammed at the White House on Tuesday during the Crown Prince's official visit to Washington.
After the meeting, Mr Trump announced the designation of Saudi Arabia as a major non-Nato ally.
The move will enable the US to share military technology with the kingdom and increase security co-operation. It is also a symbol of closer ties between the two nations.
