US, Saudi Arabia push for humanitarian truce in Sudan
January 7, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – Diplomatic efforts have intensified among Port Sudan, Riyadh, and Washington to establish a humanitarian truce in Sudan, followed by a ceasefire between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister arrived in Port Sudan on Wednesday, while the Saudi Foreign Minister landed in Washington. These movements follow a meeting held in Riyadh regarding the war in Sudan between the U.S. envoy for Middle East and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, and several Saudi officials.
According to the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, the Chairman of the Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, met with the Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khereiji, in Port Sudan Wednesday.
A statement from the Sovereignty Council noted that al-Burhan expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince for their interest and keenness on sustaining peace and stability in Sudan. Al-Burhan also expressed his appreciation to U.S. President Donald Trump for his interest in the Sudanese file and his efforts to end the war and bring about peace.
The statement reported that the meeting touched upon the peace initiative sponsored by the Saudi Crown Prince and the U.S. President, which aims to address the Sudanese crisis and achieve peace. The meeting also discussed ongoing arrangements for the convening of the Strategic Coordination Council between the two countries.
In the same context, press reports indicated that a meeting is taking place in Washington today between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Saudi counterpart. These reports suggest the meeting follows Massad Boulos’s discussions in Saudi Arabia with officials, which centred on joint efforts, alongside regional partners, to reach a humanitarian ceasefire.
The Saudi capital, Riyadh, hosted Saudi-American talks on Tuesday regarding the developments in Sudan. Massad Boulos, the Senior Advisor to the U.S. President for Arab and African Affairs, stated in a post on X that he held a productive meeting with senior Saudi officials. He noted that the discussions focused on the situation in Sudan and the need to reach a humanitarian truce to allow aid delivery and alleviate civilian suffering.
The meeting included Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khereiji, and Political Advisor Prince Musab bin Mohammed al-Farhan. Boulos explained that the discussions focused on joint efforts by Riyadh and Washington to advance de-escalation, noting that the partnership serves as a lever for progress on broader regional issues.
In September, the “Quartet” countries—comprising the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt—proposed an initiative for a humanitarian truce as a step toward a ceasefire and a subsequent transparent civilian transition. However, Sudanese military leaders refused to engage with it at that time.
Last November, during the Saudi Crown Prince’s visit to Washington for talks with President Donald Trump, the Prince requested that Trump consider bringing peace to Sudan, which the President promised to do. The Crown Prince’s initiative received swift support from the Commander of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.