Eritrea seeks to turn the scales with the support of Sudan, Iran and Russia

Agencies- Al-Zawiya Net- in an unprecedented step within the United Nations Human Rights Council, Eritrea, with the support of Sudan, Russia and Iran, submitted an official request to end the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea, the position currently being held by the Sudanese expert Muhammad Abdul Salam Babiker.

Eritrea sent a high -level delegation to the council’s sessions in Geneva, announcing its objection to the international mechanisms that monitor the conditions of states individually, considering that these investigations are “inconsistent with the principle of sovereignty.” According to diplomats who attended the session, Sudan, Russia and Iran joined the proposal, while countries from the European Union and Britain stood strongly against it during intense discussions.

This move is the first of its kind since the establishment of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to monitor human rights conditions in Eritrea in 2012, which has sparked widespread concern among human rights defenders and representatives of the international community.

Mohamed Abdel Salam Babiker, a professor of international law at the University of Khartoum and the founding director of the University’s Human Rights Center, has held this position since September 2020. He has worked to prepare periodic reports documenting human rights violations in Eritrea, including arbitrary arrests, forced recruitment, and restricting freedom of expression and mobility.

According to well -informed sources within the council, Eritrea justifies its request to end the state on the pretext that “the internal situation does not require international control,” but observers believe that the real goal is to get rid of international pressure and end the accountability mechanisms imposed on them for more than a decade.

Sudanese support for this proposal raised many questions, especially since the special decision itself is Sudanese, at a time when Sudan is exposed to international investigations due to the grave violations committed during the ongoing war since April 2023.

Human rights organizations and diplomats have warned that approval to end the mandate of the special course may constitute a dangerous precedent, and encourage other countries to undermine the UN control system, which weakens the efforts of accountability in human rights issues globally.

It should be noted that this is not the first attempt of its kind, as in 2023 Ethiopia has sought to cancel a similar mandate, but it fell after extensive international pressure.

The Human Rights Council is expected to present this proposal to vote during its next session next month in Geneva. It is estimated that the vote will witness a sharp division between member states, amid ambiguity on the chances of passing the decision.