Trump’s Senior Advisor: Ending El-Fashir Siege is a “Top Priority”

Massad Boulos, Senior Advisor to the U.S. President for Arab and African Affairs, said Monday that peace negotiations in Libya are making progress, adding that his team is working hard to achieve a ceasefire in Sudan.

In an interview with Bloomberg in Rome, Boulos said of a potential agreement in Libya: “We believe it is achievable,” but added, “You cannot expect a peace process to be implemented overnight… I hope this process moves quickly.”

He noted that the United Nations will soon call for a new round of talks in an effort to achieve peace in Libya, adding that the United States is also working to reunify the National Oil Corporation and the Central Bank.

Regarding Sudan, Boulos sounded the alarm, saying it represents “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today,”, adding that the United States is working alongside the United Nations and relief agencies to address it.

The U.S. envoy warned that the situation is particularly dire in the city of El-Fashir in the Darfur Region of western Sudan, which has been under siege for a year and a half. He said about 300,000 people inside the city are without food or medical care.

Boulos revealed that he is in communication with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt in an effort to reach a three-month ceasefire in Sudan, describing that—along with ending the El-Fashir Siege—as a “top priority.”