Seoul Gazette - Trump vows to end Sudan 'atrocities,' in sudden pivot

Trump admitted that the devastating civil war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was "not on my charts" before de facto Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved.

But Trump said he would now work to "stabilize" the conflict with regional powers, notably including the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations of backing the RSF with weapons and mercenaries.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for greater global attention to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced nearly 12 million since its outbreak in April 2023.

"His majesty would like me to do something very powerful having to do with Sudan," Trump said at a business forum with the Saudi royal a day after Prince Mohammed received a lavish reception at the White House.

"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 on Sudan."

Shortly afterward Trump, who had barely commented on the Sudan war in the nine months since he returned to office, was talking about the conflict again on social media.

The 79-year-old Republican said he would use the "influence of the presidency to bring an immediate halt" to the war.

"Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan. It has become the most violent place on Earth and, likewise, the single biggest Humanitarian Crisis," Trump said on his Truth Social network.

- 'Gone bad' -

Trump called Sudan a "Great Civilization and Culture, unfortunately gone bad" that could be fixed with the help of wealthy regional powers.

"We will work with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners to get these atrocities to end, while at the same time stabilizing Sudan," he added.

Saudi Arabia supports Sudan's army-aligned government. The army accuses the United Arab Emirates of backing the RSF, which the UAE denies.

The RSF recently seized the key city of Al-Fasher after a relentless siege, leading the UN Human Rights Council on Friday to order a probe of alleged atrocities.

Despite the conflict being off Trump's radar, Washington has stepped up efforts in recent months to finalize a truce between the warring parties.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the UAE's foreign minister on Friday to urge Abu Dhabi to back a Sudan ceasefire.

And Trump's own Africa envoy Massad Boulos on Saturday told AFP that the war in Sudan was the "world's biggest humanitarian crisis."

Trump repeatedly claims to have solved eight conflicts since returning to office in January but has until now focused instead on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine in his pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize.

His promise to start working on the Sudan conflict reflects his close ties with the de facto Saudi leader, whom he hosted at the White House for a lavish visit on Tuesday.

Their closeness was also underscored by his comments in the Oval Office on Tuesday, during which Trump defended the prince over the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the prince "knew nothing".

M.Yoo--SG