President Trump made a personal commitment on November 19 to work on ending the war in Sudan and has since reiterated his aim to end the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in several public appearances and in his recently released National Security Strategy. The level of suffering in Sudan is staggering, with over 12 million people displaced and 21 million facing extreme hunger. The suffering will only grow without urgent effort, as another major armed showdown is looming in central Sudan, while a genocide is simultaneously unfolding in western Sudan—with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killing at least 60,000 people in the largest war crime of the war.
As Trump looks to end the war, there are two fundamental ways he can move toward securing an initial ceasefire. First, he can degrade both sides’ ability to wage war. Cutting external support would restrict the RSF’s and SAF’s ability to conduct drone strikes across Sudan and degrade their ability to undertake decisive offensives. Second, he can increase both sides’ buy-in to the peace process. Decreasing the factions’ ability to wage war would help toward this end by removing recourses to violence, but Trump can introduce more incentives—or carrots—to secure their cooperation.
The most straightforward way Trump can degrade both sides’ ability to wage war is by cutting the external support both sides receive. The UAE has been the most decisive external actor, providing equipment and weapons to the RSF, including Chinese-made drones that the RSF has used to strike civilian infrastructure. The support enabled the RSF to repel an SAF offensive in early 2025 and enforce a de facto partition with the capture of all population centers in Darfur by October. On the other side, Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar have all sent weapons and drones to the SAF, with the SAF also seeking anti-air systems from Russia to counter RSF drone capabilities.
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