Sudan24 September, 20263 min read
Sudan Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim Blames UN Visa Denial on US Ceasefire Dispute
The United States denied a visa for Burhan to attend the UN General Assembly. Sudan links the visa denial to a US-backed ceasefire plan and sovereignty concerns.
25 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Air Strike Destroys Two WFP Trucks Carrying Food for 5,800 People in South Kordofan →
Visa Denial at UN
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim told the UN General Assembly that the host country prevented General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan from attending by not issuing “the necessary visa to enable His Excellency to participate in the high-level segment.” The United States refused to grant a visa to al-Burhan due to disagreements over a ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to sources close to the matter. Ibrahim urged the UN to end foreign support that fuels Sudan’s civil war and said, “Disarmament is necessary, and weapons must remain exclusively under state control.”
The UN fact-finding mission reported this month that foreign support networks supplied fighters, weapons, and military technologies that helped sustain the conflict, which has displaced millions of people. Ibrahim also described the circumstances as “deeply regrettable,” saying they violated the principle of sovereign equality among States that lies at the heart of the United Nations.
Competing Claims and Exchanges
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim said the visa rejection violated sovereign equality and called on the UN to formally document and examine the incident and take measures to uphold the 1947 Headquarters Agreement.
Ibrahim condemned foreign intervention, saying, “We reiterate our categorical rejection of any attempt to impose solutions, dictates or external agendas upon our people,” while he also insisted that peace requires addressing root causes.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Tuesday that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces nor the Rapid Support Forces nor either of their respective leaders “represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.”
Sudan’s government rejected the U.S. remarks and called on Washington to engage positively, with the ministry emphasizing that any peace initiative must be grounded in respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and legitimate national institutions.
Radio Dabanga reported that the UN session saw sharp exchanges between Sudan, the UAE and Chad, as Sudan accused the UAE and Chad of supporting the RSF while the UAE rejected the allegations and called for an immediate humanitarian truce and a nationwide arms embargo.
What Comes Next
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salim Ahmed Ibrahim said peace requires dismantling the Rapid Support Forces and halting its attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, while he argued that international silence on the militia’s acts prolongs the war. Ibrahim warned that expanding the Darfur weapons embargo to all of Sudan “paves the way to victory of the militia and the foreign mercenaries that constitute 60 per cent of its members.” Sudan’s Foreign Minister also called for halting the flow of weapons, ammunition and mercenaries into Sudan and said, “Silence regarding the atrocities committed by the terrorist militia in Sudan is not only shameful, unethical and complicit.”
The Radio Dabanga report said Darfur governor Minni Minnawi supported a truce that protects civilians but warned against using it to legitimise a parallel government or divide Sudan, and Minnawi said more than eight million people from Darfur are now displaced or living as refugees. The UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the secretary-general was “deeply concerned that a visa has reportedly not yet been issued to the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Sudan,” adding that he is engaging with the US on the issue.