Trump administration to present Sudan peace plan to ‘Board of Peace’

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The Trump administration plans to take a proposed Sudan peace plan to President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in addition to the UN Security Council if Sudan’s warring parties agree to the proposal, US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos said Tuesday.

“It's likely that we can get this accepted by the two parties, take it to the Security Council…We can also take it to the Board of Peace very shortly after that,” Boulos said during an event involving the Sudan Humanitarian Fund at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC.

“The Board of Peace is very much interested in this process. They're very much interested in what you're doing and looking forward to providing considerable support,” he added.

When asked about the purpose of taking the peace plan to the board, Boulos responded: “The Board of Peace is a smaller group that is quite enthusiastic. Of course, their current focus is on Gaza. But why not? I know that the board is interested in looking at Sudan and helping with Sudan.”

Boulos stressed that the two tracks are “absolutely complementary,” arguing that initiatives adopted by the Board of Peace could generate additional political momentum alongside UN mechanisms.

“It doesn't in any way affect the UN or the UN Security Council,” he said.

He said the “comprehensive peace plan” has been agreed to by members of the Quad -- the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a diplomatic grouping focused on ending the civil war in Sudan.

Boulos said the UN has established a mechanism for withdrawing forces from key cities in Sudan so civilians can return safely, noting the parties have agreed in principle to begin withdrawals.

The Board of Peace is a Trump-led international initiative originally conceived to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction after Israel’s nearly two-year war, which resulted in the killing of more than 71,000 Palestinians while destroying about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when asked during a Senate hearing if the board would complement or replace the UN-led processes last week, said: “This is not a replacement for the UN, but the UN has served very little purpose in the case of Gaza.”

The remarks came during a Washington donor meeting as the US seeks to mobilize up to $1.5 billion in new pledges for Sudan amid renewed efforts to secure a humanitarian truce ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins later this month.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023, has killed thousands of people, displaced millions of others and led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.