“We’ve already started working on that,” Trump said at a Saudi investment conference in Washington, one day after meeting the kingdom’s de facto ruler at the White House.
Trump told attendees that his team began acting “half an hour” after the crown prince raised the issue during their Tuesday meeting.
In a later social media post, Trump said the United States would coordinate with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and other Middle Eastern partners to “end atrocities in the region and stabilize Sudan.”
The conflict in Sudan erupted in 2023 amid a fierce power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces as the country prepared to transition to civilian rule. The war has fueled ethnic massacres, widespread destruction and mass displacement, drawing in regional powers and threatening to fragment the country.
According to five people familiar with the matter, bin Salman believes Trump’s direct pressure is needed to break the deadlock in cease-fire negotiations, pointing to the U.S. president’s role in securing a truce in Gaza last month. Trump said the crown prince appealed to his desire to be seen as a global peacemaker.
“He mentioned Sudan yesterday, and he said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and it’s horrible what’s happening,’” Trump recounted.
Saudi Arabia views an end to the conflict as a matter of national security, given Sudan’s long Red Sea coastline directly across from the kingdom.
“Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It has become the most violent place on Earth and the single biggest humanitarian crisis. Food, doctors, and everything else are desperately needed.”