Reports say US withheld Sudan army chief's UN visa over truce plan

Media reports say the United States withheld a visa allowing Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to travel to the United Nations, in what is described as an effort to pressure him into accepting a proposed 90-day truce in Sudan's civil war.

The reports have prompted criticism in Sudan, where some officials and commentators have voiced objections to the move, framing it as an attempt by Washington to influence the country's internal conflict through diplomatic leverage rather than direct engagement with the warring parties.

Sudan's civil war, which has pitted the Sudanese army against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has continued for more than two years, causing widespread displacement and a humanitarian crisis that aid organizations have repeatedly described as one of the world's most severe.

International efforts to broker a ceasefire have included various proposals for temporary truces aimed at allowing humanitarian access, though previous attempts at sustained ceasefires have largely failed to hold.

Neither the US State Department nor representatives for al-Burhan have issued a detailed public confirmation of the visa dispute, and the specific terms of the truce proposal under discussion have not been fully disclosed.