Trump can stop Sudan violence with two phone calls

OPINION:

Sudan’s devastating war slipped almost entirely off the global agenda in recent months — until President Trump responded to an appeal from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to prioritize ending the conflict.

Since 2023, this war has killed as many as 150,000 and triggered the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. According to the U.N. refugee agency, the conflict has displaced nearly 12 million people and driven 21 million to hunger. It also reversed a brief but consequential moment of hope and progress toward religious freedom and other human rights for the Sudanese people.

Mr. Trump’s renewed interest in Sudan is therefore welcome and desperately needed. Only his personal engagement, or engagement by a prominent figure speaking for him, will bring about a real chance to end this conflict.

Although the war is complex, stemming from internal historical grievances, ethnic tensions, economic drivers and international interference, it’s fundamentally a power struggle between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. U.S. allies in the region have failed to mediate and often deeply disagreed with one another over the respective roles of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in any future political transition. Stalled diplomacy has allowed civilians in Darfur to starve while essential aid convoys face attacks and the two sides trade blame.

Although these envoys have been unable to persuade Messrs. al-Burhan and Hemedti to end the war, a direct appeal from the U.S. administration — or, better yet, from Mr. Trump himself — could break the deadlock. Mr. Trump has already delivered diplomatic breakthroughs in complicated conflicts such as those between Israel and Hamas, Rwanda and Congo, and Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Compared with these challenges, many consider Sudan’s war a low-hanging fruit. Despite its horrific impact and the counterproductive interference of regional powers, the war is fundamentally an internal struggle between Messrs. al-Burhan and Hemedti. A phone call from Mr. Trump may not address all the complexities, but it would certainly prompt action from these two leaders, whose respective forces will stand down at their order.

Why, then, should Mr. Trump wield his diplomatic clout on Sudan? The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom warned in a recent report of the threats facing Sudanese Christians and other vulnerable minorities. Although religious animus is not a central cause of this conflict, these communities have suffered alongside all Sudan’s people. Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces fighters alike have destroyed churches and mosques, and they have detained and attacked minority members with impunity.

Such incidents include a deadly attack on the Church of Christ in Al Jazirah state in December 2024, in which Rapid Support Forces gunmen killed 14 worshippers and vowed to “eliminate all Christians.” This violence stands in stark contrast with the optimistic reform after Omar Bashir’s fall in 2019 and prompted significant improvements in religious freedom, such as the repeal of apostasy laws and support for broader human rights.

The first Trump administration lent its enthusiastic support to those reforms by removing Sudan’s designation as a “country of particular concern.”

Sudan is essential to our national security. It is a strategically significant country that has often served as a bridge between Africa and the Middle East. It is the world’s fifth-largest producer of gold and other minerals, but it’s also a target for Russian and Chinese influence. Russia, for example, has partnered with the Rapid Support Forces to secure access to gold mines. If Washington turns away from Khartoum, Moscow and Beijing — both known for disregarding religious freedom and human rights — will exploit the vacuum.

Reengagement in Sudan would show that the United States is serious about confronting such great power competition and ending a forgotten war that has devastated millions. It would strengthen U.S. capacity for influence and constructive involvement in sub-Saharan Africa, including advancing religious freedom in a region particularly dangerous for religious minorities.

Any ceasefire deal must include concrete guarantees for Sudan’s religious and ethnic minorities, reflecting our long-standing commitment to international religious freedom and elevating that moral imperative as a priority.

Mr. Trump’s promise of direct engagement could represent the first step in turning the tide in Sudan. It is time to act swiftly. As we have seen in just the past month, additional delay could allow the country to descend further into an abyss of atrocities and devastation, threatening millions of Sudanese lives.

• Rep. French Hill is the representative of Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District and chair of the House Financial Services Committee. Mohamed Elsanousi is commissioner of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.