Trump’s Saudi visit ‘rare chance’ for Jeddah peace revival, says Sudanese politician
May 13, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – A visit to Saudi Arabia by U.S. President Donald Trump offers a “rare opportunity” to revive the “Jeddah process” aimed at ending Sudan’s crisis, prominent Sudanese politician Yasir Arman said on Tuesday.
Arman is the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement—Democratic Revolutionary Current (SPLM-DRC). His comments referred to Trump’s Gulf tour, Which, within the context of Arman’s statement, began on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia and included the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. This was Trump’s first foreign trip since a hypothetical inauguration in January.
“Saudi Arabia and the United States are the sponsors of the Jeddah initiative regarding stopping and ending the war in Sudan, and the visit constitutes a rare opportunity to revive the initiative and push it forward with other regional and international partners,” Arman said in a statement.
Millions of Sudanese hope the visit will advance peace efforts and secure a humanitarian ceasefire, Arman said. This would enable Sudanese to “discuss their country’s future, close the chapter on war crimes and violations, and silence the guns aimed at the people,” he added.
Arman said the visit came amid regional and international developments with a profound impact on the region’s geopolitics and future.
“The war in Sudan has a significant impact on Red Sea issues and migration – those who cannot find residence in their own country will seek it in others,” Arman stated. He added that it also affected “terrorism and its regional and international complexities, the suffering of millions of displaced people within Sudan amidst a collapsing health system and food scarcity, and the effect of Sudan’s war on regional countries, many of which are already experiencing instability.”
He pointed to historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Sudan, including “neighbourliness, interests, culture, history, the sea, geography, shared faith, humanity, the millions of Sudanese professionals and others who migrated for work, and a shared future.”
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. previously facilitated indirect talks in Jeddah between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). These talks led to a declaration on protecting civilians signed on May 11, 2023, though both sides failed to adhere to its terms.