US ties Sudanese army leader's UN visa to ceasefire plan

The United States is withholding a visa for Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of his scheduled UN appearance in a move that Sudanese and other sources say is linked to a US-backed ceasefire proposal that Khartoum has resisted.



The dispute, first reported by Reuters, threatens to deepen tensions between Washington and Sudan's army at a critical moment in the civil war, which the United Nations calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis.



A senior Sudanese source said Burhan had postponed his trip to New York but had yet to receive official notice that the visa had been denied.



"We in the Sudanese government express our deep regret because this is a violation of the UN Convention and international law," the source said. "Sudan's government affirms its stance towards peace."