Reuters: US Rejects Granting Entry Visa to Sudan's Burhan

Reuters reported that the United States is refusing to grant Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan an entry visa before his scheduled speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, with two sources telling the agency that issuing it appears linked to his agreement on a 90-day ceasefire.

The agency quoted a Sudanese diplomatic source and a Western analyst close to American and Sudanese officials as saying that issuing the visa seems contingent on Burhan signing a proposed ceasefire plan put forward by U.S. Special Envoy for Arab and African Affairs Massad Bolus.

The U.S. Department of State and Sudanese authorities did not respond to Reuters requests for comment, and there has been no official U.S. confirmation regarding tying the visa to acceptance of the truce.

Sudan’s UN envoy, Harith Ahmed Idris, in a letter dated September 21 seen by Reuters, urged Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene urgently with U.S. authorities to ensure the visa is issued.

The letter stated: "If this situation continues, it will effectively prevent a head of state member of the United Nations from personally participating in the work of the General Assembly."

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told the agency that the Secretary-General is "deeply concerned" about the failure so far to issue an entry visa for the transitional Sovereignty Council chairman of Sudan.

He added that the Secretariat raised the matter immediately with U.S. authorities and continues to engage with them.

Sudan’s army had previously expressed reservations about Bolus’s ceasefire proposal during the summer, as part of efforts to end the war ongoing between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.