The United Arab Emirates signaled support on Tuesday for renewed American efforts to halt Sudan’s devastating war, as President Donald Trump announced he had begun working on a potential diplomatic breakthrough at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said Abu Dhabi welcomed Washington’s push to end the conflict and condemned the “atrocities” committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The UAE has been under growing scrutiny for its alleged ties to the RSF, accusations it denies.
Trump said he launched the initiative shortly after meeting the Saudi crown prince at the White House on Tuesday. Speaking at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, he described the situation in Sudan as far more complex than he previously understood.
“[MBS] explained the whole culture and the whole history,” Trump said. “We’ve already started working on that.” He said the crown prince told him resolving the Sudan conflict “would be the greatest thing you can do.”
Trump said he began working on the Sudan file “around 30 minutes” after the Oval Office meeting.
On Wednesday night, Trump expanded on the announcement in a Truth Social post, saying the United States would coordinate with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and other regional governments to end the violence and stabilize the country.
“Tremendous atrocities are taking place in Sudan,” he wrote, calling it “the most violent place on Earth and the single biggest humanitarian crisis.”
Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced millions and produced famine-level conditions in several regions. Human rights groups have cited widespread massacres, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of entire towns. Both warring factions have been sanctioned by the United States.
The UAE’s public endorsement of U.S. efforts marks a notable shift in regional positioning, as the conflict increasingly draws in foreign powers with competing agendas.
A coordinated push by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt — all with leverage over different actors inside Sudan — could represent the most serious attempt yet to pressure both sides into a ceasefire.
