“No Good Actors” in Sudan War: Global Concerns Rise After Trump Adviser’s Statement
A senior adviser to President Donald Trump delivered a stark assessment of Sudan’s civil war Thursday, declaring that in the eyes of the United States, “there are no good actors in this conflict.” Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser on African, Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, was speaking at a ministerial-level UN Security Council briefing on Sudan chaired by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
A Staggering Toll
“Today, Sudan faces the biggest and gravest humanitarian catastrophe in the world,” Boulos told the briefing. “After more than 1,000 days of needless conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the toll is staggering.”
The nearly three-year war has devastated Sudan, with a UN fact-finding mission determining that the RSF’s siege of the city of El-Fasher likely constituted genocide. Both factions have been implicated in serious human rights violations, and Boulos made clear the US holds both responsible.
No Good Actors
Boulos criticized both warring factions for carrying out “serious human rights violations and abuses.” His statement that “there are no good actors in this conflict” signals a shift from previous approaches that sometimes favored one side over another in pursuit of strategic interests.
He also highlighted efforts by “coordinated Islamist networks” to regain political influence in the fractured Sudanese state—a development the US views with deep concern.
“Let me be clear: Efforts by Islamist networks or any extremist political movement to manipulate this conflict, derail a civilian transition, or reassert authoritarian control will not be tolerated by the US,” Boulos said. “We will use the tools at our disposal—including sanctions and other measures—to hold accountable those who enable violence, undermine democratic governance, or threaten regional stability.”
Fresh Sanctions
The adviser’s remarks coincided with the announcement of new US sanctions on RSF commanders, citing their record of “human rights violations, including ethnic killings, torture, starvation tactics and sexual violence.” The paramilitary figures are now subject to asset freezes, arms embargoes, and travel bans.
Boulos indicated the US is “working closely with partners in this room—including the United Kingdom, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and several others—to press for an immediate humanitarian truce, and without preconditions.” Such a truce, he said, “must guarantee sustained, unhindered humanitarian access across conflict lines and borders.”
A Framework for Peace
Boulos urged the international community to support five pillars of engagement to resolve the crisis:
- Achieving an immediate humanitarian truce – Halting hostilities as a first step.
- Coordinated efforts for sustained humanitarian access – Ensuring aid reaches those in need.
- A phased approach for negotiating a permanent ceasefire – Building from truce to lasting peace.
- A structured political process – Leading to civilian-led transitional government and democratic elections.
- Robust reconstruction and recovery – Rebuilding what war has destroyed.
A Deeply Felt Concern
Boulos emphasized that resolving Sudan’s war is a “deeply felt concern” of President Trump, and that he is helping to “spearhead US efforts to achieve peace in Sudan” under the direction of Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
For a conflict that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, the window for meaningful international action remains open. Whether the framework Boulos outlined can gain traction among warring parties who have shown little appetite for peace is uncertain. What is clear is that the US has now stated its position unequivocally: both sides are to blame, both must change, and the international community must act.
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