US envoy holds rare meeting with Sudan’s top general in push to seek end to fighting

A U.S. envoy met over the weekend with Sudan’s top general as the Trump administration pushes for diplomatic efforts to end a war that has created what many describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Massad Boulos, President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, met Saturday with Sudanese Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan at a luncheon hosted by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on the sidelines of the mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union, according to a social media post.

“These efforts aim to enable Sudan to restore its security and stability, embark on reconstruction and development, and, through an inclusive Sudanese-owned and Sudanese-led national dialogue, transition toward a civilian-led government,” Boulos wrote on X.

The rare meeting between Boulos and Burhan comes as the U.S., Egypt and other intermediaries seek to renew pressure on the warring parties in Sudan to negotiate an end to the fighting that has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million and pushed many parts of the African nation into famine.

It also took place less than two weeks after Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim accused the U.S. of denying a visa for Burhan to attend the high-level week of the U.N. General Assembly last month in New York, saying it was a betrayal of Washington’s host country obligations. The State Department declined to comment at the time, citing visa privacy laws.

The war in Sudan, which has entered its fourth year, has been overshadowed over the past year by the conflicts in the Middle East.

The African country first plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

Although repeated attempts at peace talks in recent months have failed to end the war, Boulos and other Trump administration officials have said they believe there is still a chance for a regional agreement to secure an immediate humanitarian truce, including certain withdrawals and the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors.

“The United States stands ready to support all efforts leading to a comprehensive dialogue among the Sudanese political forces, leading to a preliminary road map of the future of the Sudan,” Boulos said in his post.