Despite the thousands killed, millions displaced, and entire cities reduced to rubble, Sudan's war hasn't grabbed the same headlines as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently cast renewed light on this largely forgotten war. Leaked remarks made by US President Donald Trump during the Saudi–American Investment Forum in Washington brought the conflict back into the global spotlight, when he pledged that Washington, in coordination with Riyadh, would work to end the fighting.
For the first time since the conflict began, there seems to be a serious window of hope—one that could possibly move Sudan's neglected conflict towards genuine resolution. By asking for Trump to get involved, Saudi Arabia placed Sudan’s crisis at the heart of global priorities.
But this is far from the first time Riyadh has tried to bring about a resolution to the war. It had been involved in multiple attempts to negotiate an end to the conflict since hostilities broke out in April 2023. But in a world that remained largely indifferent to Sudan's suffering, the sounds of gunfire drowned out calls for diplomacy.
The Saudi initiative cannot be separated from the broader vision the Kingdom has embraced in recent years. From Yemen to Syria, dialogue with Iran to restored ties with Türkiye, the Gaza ceasefire to the two‑state initiative and recognition of a Palestinian state, Saudi Arabia has sought stability over chaos in a volatile region. It understands that Sudan—given its prime location along the Red Sea and on the Horn of Africa—is integral to the "Middle East Peace" that Trump is seeking.
Saudi Arabia's effort to involve Trump in Sudan recalls earlier moves made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this year. In mid‑May, the crown prince convinced him to meet Syria's new president, Ahmed al‑Sharaa, in Riyadh and lift sanctions on the war-torn country. Remarkably, and much to everyone's surprise, al-Sharaa even visited the White House earlier this month—the first ever for a Syrian president—where Trump promised to lift the Caesar Sanctions on Syria before the end of the year.
