Sudanese government rejects US remarks questioning its legitimacy

Sudan on Wednesday rejected US remarks questioning the legitimacy of its government, calling on Washington to engage positively with Khartoum.

The United States withheld a visa for Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ahead of his planned visit to New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly, making his attendance conditional on his agreeing to a 90-day ceasefire, Reuters reported, citing sources.

Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has displaced more than 14 million people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement ​on Tuesday that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary nor either of their respective leaders “represent legitimate, constitutional governance for Sudan.”

In a statement on Wednesday, Sudan’s Foreign Ministry rejected the US remarks outright and called on Washington to engage positively with the Sudanese government.

“Any peace initiative intended to succeed and endure should be grounded in respect for Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity and legitimate national institutions. It must also address the root causes of the war’s continuation — foremost among them, negative foreign interference,” the ministry said.