Media reports indicate that the United States has withheld a visa from Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in an effort to pressure him into accepting a 90-day truce in Sudan's ongoing civil war. Activists and journalists in Sudan have criticized this action, asserting that access to the United Nations should not be used as leverage to influence Sudan's position in the conflict. Neither the Sudanese government nor the US Department of State has commented on these reports.
General al-Burhan, who has been engaged in conflict with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, was scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. He has addressed the assembly twice since the outbreak of the war, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and significant humanitarian crises.
According to Reuters, the US is conditioning the issuance of al-Burhan's visa on his agreement to a ceasefire proposal put forth by Massad Boulos, a senior US adviser for Arab and African affairs. The AFP news agency reported similar claims from diplomatic sources, with one source describing the visa withholding as a violation of the UN's agreement with the US.
Sudan's UN ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss Al-Harith, has requested the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to intervene with US authorities regarding the visa issue. Guterres's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, expressed concern over the reported withholding of the visa and stated that the UN Secretariat has urged the US to comply with its obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement.
Sudanese activists have voiced their opposition to the US's actions. Mamoun al-Sheikh stated that withholding the visa would not silence Sudan's voice, while journalist Diaa Al-Din Bilal suggested that preventing al-Burhan from attending the assembly could bolster his popularity. Another activist criticized the perceived double standards in visa issuance, referencing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visa approval despite facing war crime charges.
The US State Department, while not directly addressing al-Burhan's visa situation, questioned the legitimacy of both the Sudanese army and the RSF, stating that neither represents constitutional governance in Sudan. The US aims to increase the costs of ongoing conflict for all parties involved.
In response, Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the US to engage positively with the Sudanese government, emphasizing that any peace initiative should respect Sudan's sovereignty and address the underlying causes of the conflict, including foreign interference. Al-Burhan has been the de facto leader of Sudan since 2019, although recognition was withdrawn following a coup in 2021 that he led with RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. He has previously rejected externally imposed ceasefires, arguing that they have favored the RSF. The US has also denied visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and some members of Iran's UN delegation.