BRICS : South Africa fails to include support for Polisario in Kazan Declaration

Participants at the BRICS summit, held from October 22 to 24 in Russia, adopted the Kazan Declaration. According to the document viewed by Yabiladi, the issue of Western Sahara was not mentioned, although the group members dedicated a long paragraph (No. 39) to the situation in Africa.

«We commend the efforts and achievements of African countries in their pursuit of peace and development and in their fight against the growing threat of terrorism in Africa, particularly in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. We call for additional comprehensive resources to combat terrorism in developing countries to assist affected African nations in strengthening their anti-terrorism capabilities».

The BRICS countries also praised «efforts to advance the peace process in South Sudan and to stabilize the situation in the Central African Republic», as noted in the final declaration. The document also omitted any reference to «the self-determination of peoples».

Notably, at the BRICS summit held in August 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa had included the Western Sahara issue in the final communiqué, as per Polisario's interpretation. «We emphasize the need for a sustainable, mutually acceptable political solution to the Western Sahara question, in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)».

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had invited the Polisario leader to participate in the summit, and Brahim Ghali delivered a speech to attendees.

The official press agency of the Polisario notably boycotted the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia.