NEW YORK – Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minnawi criticized what he described as an attempt to bargain over Sudan’s right to address the United Nations in exchange for accepting a ceasefire, warning that any truce lacking guarantees for the country’s unity and the return of forcibly displaced people could entrench control over their lands.

Minnawi said in a post on X on Wednesday that rejecting such a bargain had, in his assessment, increased the popularity of Sovereign Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

He argued that accepting a ceasefire without guarantees for Sudan’s territorial unity and the safe return of displaced residents would risk legitimizing what he described as the seizure of their land by militias.

His remarks came amid a dispute over Al-Burhan’s expected participation in the U.N. General Assembly. Reuters reported that the United States was withholding a visa for the Sudanese army chief and that Sudanese and other sources linked the issue to a U.S.-backed 90-day ceasefire proposal that Khartoum had resisted.

The U.S. State Department said on Sept. 22 that neither the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had made serious commitments to an immediate truce and urged both sides to accept a humanitarian ceasefire without preconditions. Washington also called for an inclusive political dialogue leading to civilian government.

Minnawi’s position places particular emphasis on the rights of people displaced by the war, including their ability to return safely to their homes and recover property. Sudan’s 2020 Juba Peace Agreement includes commitments on safe and voluntary returns and restitution of property lost during conflict.

The dispute comes as Sudan continues to face one of the world’s largest displacement crises. U.N. agencies said this month that about 8.6 million people remained internally displaced, alongside millions of returnees.

Al-Burhan has separately argued for a ceasefire framework tied to broader security arrangements and a political settlement, while U.S. officials have pressed for an immediate humanitarian truce and a transition toward civilian rule.

Washington also warned that it would seek to raise the cost of continued fighting for the warring parties and the networks supporting them.

The latest exchanges come amid wider diplomatic efforts involving Sudanese, Egyptian, U.S. and U.N. officials aimed at reducing escalation and creating conditions for a political settlement.