Pressure mounted on U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged him to help end the war in Sudan, prompting Trump to say he would move swiftly on the issue.
“We’ve already started working on that,” Trump announced at a Saudi investment conference, held just a day after his meeting with the crown prince at the White House.
He explained that his administration began handling the Sudan situation roughly 30 minutes after the crown prince raised it during their discussion on Tuesday.
Later, Trump posted on social media that the United States would work alongside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern nations to stop the violence and stabilize Sudan.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in 2023 during a fierce struggle for power between General al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), just as the country was expected to shift toward civilian leadership. The war has unleashed ethnic killings, massive displacement, and devastating destruction, drawing in foreign interests and fueling fears that Sudan could break apart.
Five people familiar with the conversations said the Saudi crown prince believes that Trump’s direct involvement may be the only way to break the stalemate in negotiations to end more than two and a half years of fighting. They noted his recent success in securing a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
According to Trump’s own account, the crown prince appealed to his reputation as a dealmaker.
“He brought up Sudan yesterday and said, ‘Sir, you’re talking about a lot of wars, but there’s a place on Earth called Sudan, and what’s happening there is terrible,’” Trump recalled.
For Saudi Arabia, helping to resolve the conflict is seen as essential to national security, especially since Sudan’s long Red Sea coastline faces the kingdom directly.
“Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It has become the most violent place on Earth and the biggest Humanitarian Crisis. Food, doctors, and everything else are urgently needed.”
