Saudi prince to urge Trump to help end conflict in Sudan

Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman plans to urge Donald Trump to directly engage in ending the war in Sudan, according to a Reuters report on November 18th.

The request will come during a meeting in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter, which are two Arab diplomats and three western diplomats. They said that the Saudi prince believes Trump’s direct pressure is required to break the stalemate in peace talks, citing his recent role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire as a precedent.

Saudi Arabia is pushing for an end to the war, fearing for its national security, as the Sudanese coastline lies opposite its own Red Sea coast.

The Kingdom’s decision in bringing the issue to Trump is meant to tap into the US president’s self-image as a peacemaker, sources said, for which he has repeatedly expressed the desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

The Sudan quartet, which consists of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, had first called for a ceasefire on September 12th, and then met again later on September  24th to discuss the implementation of the roadmap to peace.

But the quartet has since had disagreements, with the UAE backing the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Saudi Arabia supporting the Sudanese military. The UAE tried to exclude the RSF and the Sudanese army from playing a role in Sudan during its transition, which all other members states found unacceptable.

Egypt has also urged the Sudanese military to adopt the peace plan conceived by the Quad. However, the fighting has continued in Sudan since the peace proposal from the Quad was refused by the military, due to the presence of the UAE in the Quad.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio articulated his discontent with the Quad process without any mention of sides, saying, “This needs to stop … We’re not going to let the Quad process that we’ve set up be a shield that people hide behind and say, ‘Well, we’re involved with the Quad. We’re trying to solve it.’ We need actionable results, and they need to happen very quickly.” 

Reuters, Maghrebi.org