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World

US withholds Sudanese leader al-Burhan's visa in ceasefire pressure move, sources say

The United States is withholding an entry visa for Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of the UN General Assembly, with issuance reportedly contingent on him signing a US-proposed 90-day ceasefire.

By James Calloway · · 1 min read

The United States is withholding an entry visa for Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of his UN General Assembly appearance, according to a letter from Sudan’s UN ambassador calling on the global body to intervene.

The letter, dated 21 September and signed by Sudan’s UN Ambassador Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, was addressed to Secretary-General António Guterres and called for the UN’s “immediate intervention” with US authorities for the visa’s issuance. Should this situation persist, it would effectively prevent the Head of State of a Member State of the United Nations from participating in person in the work of the General Assembly.

According to a Sudanese diplomatic source and a Western analyst close to American and Sudanese officials, issuance appears contingent on Burhan signing a 90-day ceasefire proposed by US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos. The US State Department and Sudanese authorities did not immediately respond to comment requests.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the Secretary-General was “deeply concerned that a visa has reportedly not yet been issued to the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Sudan”, adding that the Secretariat had raised the matter with the United States and continued to engage with them.

Burhan is scheduled to address the General Assembly Thursday 24 September. War broke out in Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023; Reuters calls the impasse a nadir in US-Sudan relations since then. Sudan’s army presented reservations about the Boulos-proposed ceasefire this summer.

Sources

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