Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan was absent from the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, with Foreign Minister Mohieddin Salem instead leading Sudan’s delegation as a dispute over Burhan’s U.S. visa continued.
The delegation attended the opening session on Tuesday and included Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi and Sudan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, according to Sudanese media reports.
Salem’s appearance at the head of the delegation resolves some of the uncertainty surrounding Sudan’s representation in New York after Burhan had initially been expected to lead the delegation and address the General Assembly on September 24.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the United States was withholding Burhan’s entry visa ahead of his scheduled UN appearance. A Sudanese diplomatic source and a Western analyst familiar with U.S. and Sudanese officials said its issuance appeared to have been linked to Burhan accepting a proposed 90-day ceasefire backed by U.S. senior adviser Massad Boulos.
The U.S. State Department has not publicly confirmed such a condition and has declined to discuss the specifics of Burhan’s visa case.
Sudan’s UN ambassador wrote to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 21 seeking intervention with U.S. authorities, warning that failure to issue the visa would prevent Burhan from participating personally in the General Assembly.
The UN subsequently raised the matter with Washington, while Guterres expressed concern over the visa issue.
Burhan had been scheduled to deliver Sudan’s address on Thursday, but Reuters reported that another Sudanese source said Salem would speak instead.
The dispute comes amid worsening relations between Washington and Sudan’s army leadership over U.S.-backed efforts to secure a ceasefire in the war with the Rapid Support Forces.
The army has resisted elements of the ceasefire proposal advanced by Boulos, while Burhan has publicly rejected what he describes as externally imposed solutions to the conflict.
Salem had travelled to New York ahead of the high-level UN meetings for talks with international officials and organisations dealing with Sudan’s war and humanitarian crisis.
