The United States has refused to grant a visa to Sudan's de facto leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to address the UN General Assembly in New York. According to sources, Burhan was scheduled to address the UN on Wednesday, but the US withheld his visa. This move has been described as a "clear violation of the UN's agreement with the US" by one diplomatic source. Burhan has addressed the assembly before, twice since the war broke out in Sudan.
The US State Department stated that neither the army nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), nor their respective leaders, represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan. The department's spokesman, Tommy Pigott, said that the US would seek to raise the cost of continued conflict on all belligerents and the networks which fuel the conflict. The US has repeatedly pushed for Sudan truce talks, but both sides have rejected Washington's call for a humanitarian truce.
The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, was "deeply concerned" that the visa had not been issued, his spokesman said. The Secretariat immediately raised the matter with the US authorities and continues to engage with them. The agreement establishing New York as the site of the UN headquarters states that the US should not impose any impediments on member state representatives' travel.
Sudan is presently being represented in New York by Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salem. The US has tried, along with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, to bring Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, to the negotiating table. Their war has killed more than 200,000 people, aid workers estimate, and caused the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.
Burhan's internationally recognised government cemented power in a 2021 coup with Daglo's support as his right-hand man, but the pair fell out in a power struggle. Since 2023, their conflict has had devastating humanitarian consequences. The US has similarly refused visas to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, as well as some members of Iran's delegation to the gathering.
The US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, recently refused to say whether he believes an Afrikaner genocide is happening. This has sparked controversy and debate in the region. Meanwhile, the US continues to play a key role in international diplomacy, including efforts to resolve conflicts in Sudan and other parts of the world.
The Iranian foreign minister has arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly, despite tensions between the US and Iran. The UN General Assembly is an important platform for international leaders to discuss pressing global issues. The absence of Sudan's de facto leader from the assembly is likely to be felt, given the country's ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis.
Key points
- The US refusal to grant a visa to Sudan's de facto leader is a clear violation of the UN's agreement with the US.
- The conflict in Sudan has killed more than 200,000 people and caused the world's largest hunger and displacement crises.
- The US has tried to bring Sudan's warring parties to the negotiating table, but both sides have rejected Washington's call for a humanitarian truce.
