As the UN General Assembly got underway in New York, the US has yet to issue a visa to the Sudanese Armed Forces chief General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, sources have told The National.
Mr Al Burhan was due to give his country’s speech at the United Nations, despite accusations of war crimes against him.
Fighting between the SAF and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has devastated the country of 50 million people and battered its economy. International efforts to end the war have struggled to secure a lasting cessation of hostilities.
Gen Al Burhan and rival RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo have been accused of war crimes and are subject to sanctions by the US and other countries.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the US to grant the visa. Mr Guterres said he was "deeply concerned" that a visa had reportedly not yet been issued to Gen Al Burhan, who is scheduled to address the annual gathering of world leaders, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
"The Secretary General urges the host country to ensure that a visa is issued in accordance with its obligations under the headquarters agreement," said the statement. The UN Secretariat has raised the issue with US authorities and continues to engage with them, it added.
Under the agreement governing the UN headquarters in New York, the US, as host country, has obligations regarding access for representatives of UN member states attending meetings of the world body.
"The full participation of all delegations in the work of the organisation is essential to its proper functioning," the statement said.
A US State Department representative declined to comment on the visa, telling The National: "As a general matter, we do not comment on Department actions with respect to specific visa cases."
This month, the Sudanese Armed Forces faced new evidence over its alleged use of chemical weapons. Reports published by The New York Times and The Washington Post revealed the SAF had used chemical weapons in the devastating war and also built a secret stockpile that it has since sought to conceal.
