At BRICS, South African president calls for peaceful resolution to all disputes

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa Thursday called on the world to remain committed to the peaceful resolution of all disputes through negotiation and inclusive dialogue.

Speaking at the 16th BRICS heads of state summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Ramaphosa said leaders must find lasting solutions to conflicts in different parts of the globe.

“On our own continent (Africa), Sudan enters its second year of horrific conflict and devastation. This is another conflict the world seems to have forgotten about,” the South African leader said.

Ramaphosa also noted that conflicts in the Sahel and Great Lakes regions of Africa also persist.

- Genocide in Gaza

“South Africa is concerned about the military aggression by Israel against the people of Gaza, which we have characterized as genocide. This genocide led South Africa to approach the International Court of Justice with a view to stopping the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza,” he said in his address.

Ramaphosa said his country believes the world cannot sit by and watch the suffering of Palestinians.

“The world cannot afford a region-wide escalation of the conflict,” he said in reference to Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and the plan to attack Iran.

He called on the international community and the UN Security Council in particular to address the spiraling conflict.

“We cannot allow conflicts to continue in perpetuity. We need to find paths to peace,” he said.

South Africa filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tribunal based in The Hague in late 2023, accusing Israel, which has bombed Gaza since last October, of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Several countries, including, Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia, have all joined the case which began public hearings in January.

In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was the third time the 15-judge panel issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in the blockaded enclave, where the casualty count has crossed 42,800.