American former diplomat Cameron Hudson said US President Donald Trump’s new administration will show an interest in the war in Sudan because it does not want the country to become a haven for terrorism.
Hudson, who is a senior fellow in the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told Asharq Al-Awsat from Nairobi that Washington wants to preserve security along the entirety of the Red Sea coast.
This means that Iran and Russia will not be allowed to establish any bases there, he stressed.
Moreover, Hudson revealed that the Trump administration wants to expand the Abraham peace accords in the Middle East. Sudan is a signatory to the accords, he noted, while wondering how it can be implemented there amid the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Peace in the Middle East is essential for there to be peace in Sudan, he remarked.
Noting a previous agreement between Sudan and Russia for the latter to set up a naval base there, Hudson questioned the credibility of the deal.
If it is true, then it will certainly be a major problem for Trump, he added. He will most likely make a strong reaction that will inform Sudan that it made the bad decision.
Trump does not want Russia to threaten his interests in the Red Sea, he went on to say.
The administration has yet to name a team on African affairs, he added, but hoped that it will do so soon because the situation in Sudan is pressing.
He expected Washington to remain abreast the developments and changes in the war in Sudan.
The army appears to be on the way to recapturing the capital Khartoum, but the RSF may seize the city of Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, which will in turn allow it to capture the whole of Darfur.
Hudson said he does not know how the Trump administration would respond to such a scenario. As it stands, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused the RSF of committing genocide, so it is unlikely that Washington will talk to them should any negotiations take place.
Regardless of what happens, Hudson said he was confident the Trump administration will do better than its predecessor which had viewed both the army and RSF equally.
Moreover, he said former President Joe Biden’s administration was slow in responding to the October 25, 2021, coup that took place in Sudan. The war soon followed.
The administration only hired an envoy to Sudan a year after the war erupted, he noted. It also wavered in how it dealt with the army and RSF, treating them both equally, before later saying it will only talk to the civilian forces.
The forces, however, were not organized and did not have a vision over how to stop the war, Hudson continued.
On sanctions against army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, Hudson said the administration should have done so at the beginning of the war, not the final weeks of its term.
The sanctions are still in place and the Trump administration has an opportunity to use them to determine how thing unfold in Sudan, such as set conditions that could pave the way for lifting them, specifically off Burhan, Hudson explained.
The former diplomat described Burhan as “very wise” and that he is aware of how destructive the war has been on Sudan, its people and economy.
Burhan wants to stop the war, but there should first be a solution to the RSF threats. A sustainable solution is needed in Sudan so that war does not erupt again, he urged.
Furthermore, he added that Trump enjoys good ties with the Arab countries neighboring Sudan. These countries have interests in Sudan and they can be part of a deal that can help end the war.
