Trump envoy Massad Boulos meets Egypt spy chief for Libya crisis talks

Massad Boulos, senior advisor to US President Donald Trump for Africa, has held high-level talks in Cairo with Egypt’s intelligence chief, Major General Hassan Rashad, as part of growing US efforts to address the deepening crises in Libya and Sudan.

According to diplomatic sources speaking to our Arabic edition, the meeting focused on key regional flashpoints, particularly the worsening security and political conditions in both countries. According to the informed sources, Boulos and Rashad discussed the situation in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and ways to contain repeated clashes between armed factions.

Both sides stressed the importance of a comprehensive political settlement to restore stability in Libya. They discussed support for intra-Libyan dialogue, unifying fragmented institutions, and rejected foreign interference that could exacerbate divisions or fuel violence.

Boulos’s visit comes amid mounting Egyptian concern over instability in western Libya, where undisciplined armed groups and sharp institutional divisions pose a threat to Egypt’s national security.

The meeting also addressed the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sudan, where humanitarian and military conditions continue to worsen. The two officials called for an inclusive political solution to end the fighting and enable the rebuilding of state institutions in line with the Sudanese people’s aspirations for peace and stability.

General Rashad reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to preserving Sudan’s territorial integrity and preventing it from becoming an arena for wider regional or international conflict. He emphasised the importance of close coordination with the United States in efforts to contain the crisis.

Boulos’s visit to Egypt forms part of a broader US regional engagement. Diplomatic sources said the Trump administration sees Egypt as a key partner in shaping joint strategies to address instability across Africa and the Middle East, including in Libya, Sudan, Gaza and the Horn of Africa.

The talks in Cairo also come amid reports that the United States has been exploring a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. According to NBC News, the proposal included the unfreezing of Libyan assets in exchange for accepting displaced Gazans.

However, the US embassy in Tripoli has publicly denied the reports, calling them "untrue". The internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli has not issued a formal comment.

Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman was appointed by the Trump administration in April as the State Department’s Senior Advisor for Africa. He earlier undertook a tour of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, where he met heads of state and business leaders to promote US private sector investment and support efforts for a lasting peace in eastern DRC.

Boulos, who has deep business ties in West Africa, has also acted as a key Trump emissary to Arab-American communities. His son, Michael Boulos, is married to Tiffany Trump, daughter of the former US president, who welcomed a new baby earlier last week.