The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: BRICS deputy foreign ministers and special envoys expressed concern over continued clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, urging an immediate ceasefire and dialogue to achieve political transition in Sudan with the support of international organisations.
On Wednesday, senior officials of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa dealing with West Asia and North Africa discussed the volatile region in a virtual meeting and issued a joint statement.
With all five countries evacuating their citizens from Sudan, the conflict in the North African country was certainly on the top of the agenda.
“They expressed deep concern about the continued clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. They deeply regret the deaths and injuries of civilians. They urged the parties to reach an immediate ceasefire and stressed the need to respect international and humanitarian law,” said the statement.
The officials urged all stakeholders in Sudan to pursue dialogue in order to achieve a political transition that meets the fundamental interests of the country and the legitimate aspirations of its people. They also reaffirmed their support for collaborative efforts by the UN, African Union, and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to facilitate such talks and resolve the current situation, with the assistance of the international community.
On Yemen, the joint statement expressed appreciation for the recent Saudi-led initiative to facilitate direct negotiations between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with the aim of achieving peace and stability not only in Yemen but also in the Gulf region. The officials also praised the efforts made by other regional countries, including Oman and Saudi Arabia, to address the situation in Yemen and work towards a permanent ceasefire.
Besides, the joint statement also voiced their “deep concern” about the worsening conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories due to the “continued occupation and the expansion of settlements”. The officials also expressed worry about the current absence of any proposal for a permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along with the lack of prospects for resuming negotiations in the foreseeable future.
The five emerging economies “condemned terrorism and extremism, including violent extremism conducive to terrorism and called on countries of the region to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism”.
Stressing the role of the United Nations and opposing “double standards”, the BRICS officials also called for the UN Security Council Sanctions Committees to further consolidate and strengthen their working methods.
“They agreed that terrorism and extremism, including violent extremism conducive to terrorism, must not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation, or ethnic group,” the statement said.
Finally, the joint statement urged for the speedy finalization and adoption of a comprehensive convention on international terrorism under the UN’s purview.