US Has Not Issued Sudan Army Chief a UN Visa

The United States has not issued a visa to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for the United Nations General Assembly in New York, leaving his planned appearance uncertain as Sudan’s ambassador asks the UN to intervene. Sudanese and Western sources say US officials have linked his attendance to acceptance of a proposed 90-day ceasefire, but Washington has not publicly confirmed that condition. The visa’s status is also unresolved. Some diplomatic sources described it as denied, while a senior Sudanese source said Burhan had not received official notice of a denial. The United Nations said the visa had reportedly not yet been issued. The State Department declined to comment on the application, and the available accounts do not establish whether the United States has made a final decision. Sudan’s UN ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, wrote to Secretary-General António Guterres on September 21, asking the United Nations to intervene with US authorities. The letter said that preventing Burhan from attending in person would keep Sudan’s leader from participating in the General Assembly.