Sudan urges UN intervention after US denies visa to military chief Burhan

September 22, 2026 (NEW YORK) – Sudan on Tuesday urged U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to intervene after the United States denied an entry visa to Sovereign Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of the U.N. General Assembly.

According to Reuters, the visa appears to have been issued on the condition that Burhan agree to sign a 90-day ceasefire proposed by Massad Boulos, U.S. senior advisor for Arab and African affairs, according to a Sudanese diplomatic source and a Western analyst close to American and Sudanese officials. Burhan rejected the condition.

In a letter to Guterres, Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Al-Harith Idriss, called for immediate engagement with U.S. authorities “at the highest appropriate level” to secure visas for Burhan and his delegation without delay.

Idriss said Sudan had completed all entry requirements and argued that barring a head of state violates the 1947 U.N. Headquarters Agreement, which requires Washington to grant visas to member state delegations promptly and without charge.

The envoy also cited a December 2025 General Assembly resolution expressing concern over recurring visa delays and denials, stating that U.N. participation should remain separate from bilateral political disputes.

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was very concerned by reports that Burhan’s visa remained unissued, adding that the U.N. Secretariat had raised the matter with U.S. officials and was following up.

Washington slapped sanctions on Burhan in January 2025 over allegations of military abuses during Sudan’s civil war and obstruction of the peace process.

Following those measures, Prime Minister Kamil Idriss headed Sudan’s delegation to the annual gathering last year.

Burhan had been scheduled to address world leaders in New York on Thursday.

Neither the U.S. State Department nor Sudan’s military issued an immediate comment.