US Senior Adviser Massad Boulos Holds Rare Talks with Sudan's General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Egypt

US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, has met Sudanese army chief and de facto leader Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan in Egypt as Washington steps up efforts to end the country’s three-year war.

Mr Boulos stated on Monday that he attended a lunch hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in New Alamein at the weekend alongside Gen Al Burhan. The rare publicly announced encounter took place on the sidelines of the African Union’s eighth midyear co-ordination meeting. While not describing it as a formal bilateral meeting, Mr Boulos used the occasion to reaffirm US support for Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

“The United States stands ready to support all efforts leading to a comprehensive dialogue among the Sudanese political forces, leading to a preliminary road map of the future of the Sudan,” Mr Boulos said in a post on X. “We encourage the Sudanese to be inclusive and to engage actively with regional and international stakeholders to co-ordinate views.”

This encounter occurred less than two weeks after Washington withheld a visa for Gen Al Burhan before the UN General Assembly in New York. The decision was reportedly linked to Sudan’s army-led administration resisting a US proposal for a 90-day humanitarian ceasefire, followed by political negotiations to end the war and revive a transition towards civilian rule. Although Sudan claimed it did not reject the proposal but instead submitted comments, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated last month that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, nor their leaders, represented a legitimate constitutional government for Sudan.

Despite these tensions, the US continues to press for a negotiated settlement. Mr Boulos noted that the US is working with Egypt and other regional and international partners to end the fighting and ease the humanitarian crisis, aligning with Mr Trump’s calls for a political solution. The ultimate goal is to help Sudan restore security, begin reconstruction, and move towards a civilian-led government through an inclusive national dialogue.

The war, which began in April 2023, was triggered by a power struggle between the army and the RSF over the transition to civilian rule and the planned integration of rival forces. With repeated diplomatic initiatives failing to secure a lasting ceasefire, the conflict has generated one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The UN World Food Programme reports that more than 14 million people have been displaced and nearly 20 million face hunger.

Compounding the crisis, a recent strike on two World Food Programme lorries in Sudan’s South Kordofan state killed one of their drivers. The WFP did not attribute responsibility and called for an impartial investigation. Fighting has intensified in Kordofan as the army and the RSF battle for territory. Following his meeting with Gen Al Burhan, Mr Boulos condemned the attack on X, describing it as part of a dangerous pattern of assaults on humanitarian operations.

Both the SAF and the RSF have been accused by the UN of war crimes and human rights violations. The UN Human Rights Council recently condemned indiscriminate attacks on civilians, aerial bombardments, and drone strikes that have caused significant casualties and damaged critical infrastructure. According to UN figures, drone warfare has escalated sharply, with about 1,100 civilians killed by drones between January and June this year out of roughly 1,400 total documented civilian deaths.