UN General Assembly: Washington refuses visa to Sudanese leader al-Burhan for now

Sudanese General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has still not obtained his visa to travel to the United States, although he is due to speak on Thursday 24 September at the United Nations General Assembly, according to several sources.

According to these sources, the US administration is seeking to impose conditions on the visit of the head of the Sudanese army, who also heads the country's sovereign council. The visa freeze comes just days before the scheduled date for his speech to representatives of UN member states.

This raises questions about Washington's compliance with its obligations as the host country of the United Nations headquarters. Under existing agreements between the United States and the organization, leaders of member states are generally allowed to travel to New York to participate in the work of the General Assembly, regardless of bilateral relations with Washington.

A U.S. decision to maintain the visa denial would go against the laws governing U.S.-UN relations, according to the sources cited, even though the U.S. authorities have not publicly detailed the precise reasons for the blockade.

The outcome of this case remains uncertain in the run-up to the General Assembly session, where the Sudanese leader's participation is now suspended on whether or not he obtains this visa in the coming days.