U.S. Senators Todd Young and Mark Warner have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to collaborate with President Trump in appointing a new Special Envoy for Sudan. This request comes amid the ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has resulted in a significant humanitarian crisis.
The conflict, which began in April 2023, has reportedly led to tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over 14 million people. “Since its outbreak, this conflict has displaced more than 14 million people – an estimated 11.5 million internally, plus an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring countries and regions,” stated the senators in their letter. They further emphasized that approximately 30 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The senators highlighted bipartisan efforts to address the crisis and stressed the importance of filling key roles at the State Department and National Security Council. They also called for accountability for both internal and foreign actors contributing to the conflict’s prolongation.
“To date, the Office of Foreign Assets Control added SAF and RSF members to the Specially Designated Nationals List and taken action against numerous UAE companies for potentially violating U.S. sanctions,” they wrote, urging continued efforts alongside allies to hold external actors accountable.
Additional support came from U.S. Senators Mike Rounds, Tim Kaine, and Cory Booker, who joined Young and Warner in signing the letter.
Senator Young had previously advocated for decisive action against foreign entities involved in fueling Sudan’s civil war under the Biden administration.
In their communication with Secretary Rubio, they underscored: “We urge the Administration to fill the Special Envoy position… We also strongly urge you to work with the President to nominate senior officials responsible for Africa.”
They pointed out recent escalations by RSF forces in Darfur as examples of atrocities enabled by external influences such as those from UAE, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The senators concluded by stressing that prolonged conflict poses risks not only to regional stability but also to American security interests: “Conflicts rarely stay localized… The war’s continuation not only harms millions of innocent civilians but also poses serious risk to American security interests.”
