The Economist published on 6 August 2026 an article titled "The Ruin of Sudan."
Based on a visit to Khartoum and Omdurman, the article shows the devastation caused by more than three years of war between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The SAF is now in control of the capital region.
Aljazeera published on 21 July 2026 an article titled "Who Is Driving Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and Why?"
US senior adviser for Africa, Massad Boulos, recently held meetings in Cairo with the foreign ministers of Somalia and Eritrea as part of an effort to prevent another regional crisis or build a broader diplomatic framework.
Comment: These meetings may well have been routine diplomacy, constituting less than is implied in the Aljazeera lead to the article.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 2 July 2026 an article titled "US Sanctions RSF and SAF" by Michael DeAngelo.
The United States has imposed additional sanctions on parties backing the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. These sanctions are part of a long list of US sanctions dating back to 2023.
Comment: Previous US sanctions on the warring parties in Sudan have had no impact on the fighting and these new sanctions will simply be more of the same.
Aljazeera published on 28 June 2026 an article titled "'Digging with a Needle': Generals Stall Peace as Sudan's El-Obeid Burns."
The leaders of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are demonstrating no serious interest in bringing the deadly Sudan conflict to an end. Mediation and a ceasefire seem to be the last thing on their minds as the drone war heats up.
The Emirates Policy Center published on 21 May 2026 an analysis titled "The US-Eritrea Rapprochement: Signs and Prospects."
The United States seeks to leverage Eritrea's position on the Red Sea to address maritime tensions and threats, while Asmara is counting on American receptiveness to overcome its isolation and strengthen its capacity to navigate Ethiopian and regional pressures.
The analysis concludes that interaction between the United States and Eritrea will probably remain restricted to functional engagement rather than evolving into a comprehensive and enduring partnership.
The Wall Street Journal published on 22 April 2026 an article titled "U.S. Seeks to Reset Ties with Reclusive but Strategically Vital African State" by Robbie Gramer and Summer Said.
The Trump administration is exploring ways to reset relations with Eritrea, beginning with the lifting of sanctions. The administration's special envoy for Africa, Massad Boulos, first met with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki late last year in Cairo.
The US war in Ian has elevated the importance of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, where Eritrea has a long coastline.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File published on 21 April 2026 an article titled "US Competes with Russia and Others as It Engages African Autocrats" by Liam Karr, Yale Ford, and Zoe Sommer.
The Trump administration has put the United States in more direct competition with Russia in Africa, especially in states that have come under military control. The US is primarily pursuing security-related interests and exploring opportunities for cooperation on critical minerals.
The International Crisis Group published on 17 April 2026 a statement titled "Latest Sudan Conference Shows Diplomacy Is Backsliding" by Comfort Ero and Alan Boswell.
Officials who gathered in Berlin on 15 April pledged 1.5 billion Euros for humanitarian aid to Sudan but failed to agree on a joint communique. Blame for the inability to agree on a common approach to achieve a cease fire resulted because of differences in the US-led Quad, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt.
Negotiations foundered over Saudi Arabia's insistence on language stressing the need to preserve "state institutions", which would include Sudan's army, and the UAE's opposition to it. The intra-Quad discord highlights the challenges facing US-led efforts to secure a truce, which are backsliding amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Prospect published on 1 April 2026 an article titled "Sudan's War in the Mountains" by Sophie Neiman.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is using the Nuba Mountains as a thoroughfare to take territory controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in the eastern part of Sudan. The Nuba Mountains have become a new frontline in the civil war. The RSF is aligned with the SPLM-N against the SAF.
The International Crisis Group posted on 7 April 2026 a 42-minute podcast titled "After Three Years of War in Sudan, What Hope for a Ceasefire" hosted by Richard Atwood with Shewit Woldemichael and Alan Boswell.
The Iran war has not yet had a significant impact on the situation in Sudan beyond driving up prices of everything and causing fuel shortages. If the Iran war continues, it could have a huge negative impact on the food situation in Sudan.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control most of Darfur and West Kordofan while the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) control most of the northeastern and eastern parts of the country. Sudan is effectively partitioned between the RSF and the SAF. The major battle fronts today are along the Chad border, South Sudan border, and Ethiopian border.
The RSF political program has been a failure. Noone has recognized the RSF government. The SAF has improved its position and is the dominant actor in the country today. While SAF fortunes have improved most Sudanese probably do not want the military to remain in power indefinitely.
The RSF continues to receive strong support from the UAE while the SAF has a degree of support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Eritrea. The most worrying new dynamic is the deterioration of relations between the SAF and Ethiopia. Differences over Nile water usage and Egyptian and Eritrean support for the SAF contribute to Ethiopia's concerns.
Massad Boulos, President Trump's special envoy for Africa, continues to seek a ceasefire as part of the Quad (US, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia). The effort is currently lacking high level pressure. RSF and SAF positions on a ceasefire remain far apart. Both sides believe they hold a strong military position. Only major outside pressure on them will likely change the situation.
There is considerable concern among the outside actors about the role of Islamist forces in the SAF, which complicates a resolution. In the meantime, the Sudan conflict continues to destabilize the Red Sea region.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 19 February 2026 an article titled "Sudan" by Michael DeAngelo and Elliot Nazar.
The Quad (United States, UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia) peace proposal is stalled due in large part to the fact that the UAE supports the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Egypt and Saudi Arabia support the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). Neither the RSF nor the SAF has fully committed to the Quad ceasefire proposal. Ethiopia's support for a new RSF military campaign in Sudan's neighboring Blue Nile state is further complicating any peace settlement.
South Africa's Daily Maverick published on 8 February 2026 an article titled "New Assistant Secretary of State for Africa: Manager of Trump Policies for the Continent He Hates?" by J. Brooks Spector.
Frank W. Garcia is the Trump administration nominee to be the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. A Congressional staffer focusing on intelligence issues, he has limited exposure to Africa. He is now a senior adviser to the House of Representatives Select Committee on Intelligence. He replaces Nick Checker, a former CIA analyst who had the title of senior bureau officer for African affairs but not assistant secretary.
Foreign Affairs published on 11 February 2026 an article titled "How the War in Sudan Could End" by Volker Perthes, German Institute for International and Security Affairs.
The author argues that both the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces may have reached the point where they believe it will be difficult to make more territorial gains at an acceptable cost. Consequently, coordinated international pressure on both belligerents could result in a ceasefire, a first step towards peace.
AllAfrica.com posted on 12 January 2026 an analysis titled "Africa: Former CIA Analyst Now Top U.S. Africa Official at State; Dealmaking Dominates as Conflicts Spread" by Reed Kramer.
The top official in the State Department Africa Bureau, Nick Checker, comes from the Central Intelligence Agency via the Trump administration's National Security Council. Massad Boulos, the U.S. Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs, is the father of Tiffany Trump's husband and former truck and heavy machinery dealer in Nigeria.
The Trump administration recalled 15 career ambassadors from embassies in Africa in late December. Now only 17 of 52 embassies in Africa, which includes 4 in North Africa that are part of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, have ambassadors assigned to the country; 35 ambassadorial positions in Africa are vacant. The Trump administration has put forward only 4 nominations for ambassador to embassies in Africa--Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia, and South Africa. All 4 nominees are political appointees.
The Associated Press published on 14 January 2026 an article titled "Discussions to End Sudan War Resume in Cairo as It Nears the 30Year Mark" by Fatma Khaled.
Egypt's foreign minister and the UN secretary general's personal envoy for Sudan resumed talks in Cairo on 14 January calling on the warring parties to agree to a nationwide humanitarian truce. Egypt made clear that it would not support any proposal for a divided Sudan.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 18 December 2025 an article titled "Gulf States" by Michael DeAngelo and Liam Karr.
Saudi Arabia recently hosted a series of meetings aimed at getting the Sudan peace process back on track and reducing tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The article also discusses the movement of weapons into the region and alleged Ethiopian support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
Aljajeera published on 30 November 2025 an article titled "War in Sudan: Humanitarian, Fighting, Control Developments, November 2025" by Maziar Motamedi.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) consolidate control in Darfur in western Sudan while the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) does the same in the Khartoum area. Kordofan region continues to be contested. The RSF says it has accepted a ceasefire requested by the Quad (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and UAE) but continues to engage SAF forces. The SAF has rejected the terms of the Quad's ceasefire. The humanitarian situation is worsening in Darfur but may be improving slightly in the Khartoum area.
Stimson published on 20 November 2025 a commentary titled "Trump's Critical Minerals Search in Africa Won't Tip the Scales Against China" by Mathew Burrows and Benjamin Weise.
As the United States pulls back from Africa and narrows its interest to the extraction of critical minerals, China and Russia are expanding their engagement on the continent.
The Associated Press published on 24 November 2025 an article titled "Top General Rejects US-led Ceasefire Proposal, Calling It 'the Worst Yet'" by Samy Magdy.
Sudan's top general, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called the ceasefire proposed by the US-led Quad (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and UAE) unacceptable and "the worst yet" because it eliminates the Sudanese Armed Forces, dissolves security agencies, and allows the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to stay where they are. The RSF says it has agreed to the truce proposal.
POLITICO published on 19 November 2025 an article titled "The Next Item on Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Agenda: Sudan" by Gregory Svirnovskiy.
At the request of visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Trump said he would engage personally in efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. He acknowledged that the issue had not previously been on his agenda.
The Eastleigh Voice published on 18 November 2025 an article titled "IGAD Leads New Push for Peace in Sudan as Regional and Global Partners Back Three-step Plan" by Mary Wambui.
This article provides an update on efforts by special envoy Massad Boulos and the US-led Quad (US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and UAE) to end the conflict in Sudan. The Quad's three-step plan begins with a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a permanent cease fire, and concluding with a nine-month political process to establish a civilian-led government. The African Union, Intergovernmental Authority for Development, European Union, and League of Arab States support the initiative.
