Sudan Condemns U.S. Visa Decision Blocking Army Chief from U.N. Assembly

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim has criticized the United States over its failure to issue Army Chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan an appropriate visa to attend the high-level segment of the U.N. General Assembly.

Speaking to the General Assembly on Monday, Ibrahim said Burhan’s participation had been prevented by the visa decision. “The host country prevented this by failing to issue the appropriate visa for His Excellency to participate in the high-level segment,” he said.

People familiar with the matter said the United States withheld the visa amid disagreements over a proposed ceasefire intended to halt the war between Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces. The specific disagreements and details of the ceasefire proposal were not provided.

Call to end foreign involvement

Ibrahim used his address to call for an end to foreign intervention in Sudan’s conflict, including the movement of weapons, ammunition and foreign fighters into the country.

“The just solution in Sudan, which ensures that the conflict does not reignite, requires halting the continuous foreign interventions,” he said.

The minister also called for disarmament and said weapons should be held exclusively by the state. “Their disarmament is necessary, and weapons should remain exclusively under the control of the state,” Ibrahim said.

Sudan has been at war since April 2023, when fighting began between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. The conflict has displaced millions of people.

A U.N.-backed investigation reported earlier in the month that foreign support networks had supplied fighters, weapons and military technology that helped sustain the conflict. The available information does not identify the countries or networks involved.