GENEVA, May 11. /TASS/. Russia opposes the politicization of issues related to the events in Sudan when they are discussed in the UN Human Rights Council, Russian diplomat Yaroslav Yeryomin said at a US-requested special meeting of the council on Sudan on Thursday.

"Russia invariably opposes the politicization of the Sudanese issue in the HRC. The pedaling of this topic in the council is counterproductive and does not help resolving the crisis in the country," he said in a speech at the meeting in Geneva. "The imposition of highly dubious socio-economic schemes and universal "democratization" templates on the Sudanese leadership from the outside, as well as the politicization of issues related to the provision of economic and financial assistance are unacceptable."

Moscow believes the people of Sudan "is capable of, and should be addressing its domestics issues on its own," the diplomat said.

"The international community, including the UN Human Rights Council, should provide them with as much assistance as possible," Yeryomin said.

"We call on the parties to the conflict to show political will and take immediate steps toward a ceasefire," the diplomat continued.

Once the armed confrontation is over, "it’s necessary to take practical steps to resume dialogue within Sudan," he said.

"In order to make it inclusive, we consider it important for all influential political groups of Sudan to be engaged in this process, including authoritative regional leaders," Yeryomin stated.

The special session of the HRC on Sudan was convened at the request of the UK, Germany, Norway and the US.

About the situation in Sudan

The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereignty Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy on the council. The main points of contention between the two military organizations are related to the timeline and methods of forming unified armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should become the commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is an option supported by al-Burhan, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists. On April 15, armed clashes between the rival military factions erupted near a military base in Merowe and in the capital, Khartoum. There have been several attempts to establish a ceasefire since then. The Asharq television channel reported on Tuesday, citing data from the World Health Organization, that the death toll from the clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Response Forces had risen to 604, while more than 5,000 had sustained wounds.