An envoy of President Donald Trump said he attended an event over the weekend with the head of Sudan's army, which is fighting a war with paramilitary forces that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the President of the United States on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs. Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein
An envoy of President Donald Trump said he attended an event over the weekend with the head of Sudan's army, which is fighting a war with paramilitary forces that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
DETAILS:
US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos said on X he attended a lunch hosted by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi alongside Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
"We ... reaffirm the United States' continued efforts, alongside our Egyptian partners and our other regional and international partners and allies, to advance a political solution to the crisis," Boulos added in his post.
A senior official in Sudan's military-led government said Burhan had a "casual encounter" with Boulos, but the two did not hold any talks.
The event in Egypt came less than two weeks after Washington withheld a visa for the Sudanese army chief ahead of a scheduled UN appearance, in a move that Sudanese and other sources said was linked to a US-backed ceasefire proposal that Khartoum has resisted.
Sudan's army has been fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, when the two fell out over issues including how to integrate their forces in a planned transition to civilian rule.
The US State Department said last month that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary nor either of their respective leaders "represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan".
The war has displaced more than 14 million people and unleashed waves of ethnically driven killings.
"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 on Monday.
Washington has accused the RSF of committing genocide and the army of carrying out war crimes. Both have previously denied abuses.
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