At the recent Enhanced Interactive Dialogue (EID) on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, held on 27 February 2025, at the UN Human Rights Council, some countries echoed the familiar rhetoric of “non-selectivity, impartiality, objectivity” and “elimination of double standards” in a show of sympathy for the Eritrean regime. These statements, which were entirely built on recycled talking points the Eritrean and other authoritarian governments reproduce, sought to delegitimize the Special Rapporteur’s mandate by framing it as a tool for “neo-colonialism” imposed by the European Union. This argument is not only misleading but also morally indefensible.
The claim that the Special Rapporteur’s mandate represents “neo-colonialism” is both historically inaccurate and deliberately misleading. His mandate was originally proposed in 2012 by members of the African Group and, for six years (2012 -2018), was sponsored by Somalia and Djibouti, two neighbouring African nations with direct and immediate knowledge of Eritrea’s human rights crisis (Nigeria also supported the initial resolutions). This was not a European imposition but a regional, African-led initiative driven by first-hand experiences of Eritrea’s abuses.
The Special Rapporteur Mandate is Not Neo-Colonialism – It is a Response to Ongoing Atrocities
The Eritrean regime weaponizes “anti-colonial” and “decolonial” rhetoric as a smokescreen to deflect attention from its appalling human rights record. While it cries “neo-colonialism” to evade scrutiny, it continues to enslave its people through indefinite forced conscription, crush fundamental freedoms, and orchestrate transnational repression against Eritreans abroad. This cynical manipulation of history does nothing to change the reality: the Eritrean regime remains one of the most brutal and oppressive regimes of our time.
Eritreans have endured decades of repression under a homegrown dictatorship. The suffering they face today equals that inflicted under Italian colonial rule and Ethiopian occupation. Since 1991, the current Eritrean regime has subjected the Eritrean people to the darkest period in their history, marked by widespread human rights abuses, indefinite forced conscription, often referred to as a modern-day-slavery, and the total eradication of fundamental freedoms. Under its rule, Eritrea has become an open-air prison, where citizens are stripped of their rights, silenced through fear, and forced into servitude. The attempt to dismiss international scrutiny as “neo-colonialism” is nothing more than a desperate effort to shield an entrenched dictatorship from accountability.
The Eritrean Regime Has Worsened Conditions for Its People
Eritrea long justified its human rights abuses and indefinite conscription by citing the “no war, no peace” stalemate with Ethiopia. However, after the 2018 tripartite peace agreement with Ethiopia and Somalia, the latter abruptly withdrew its sponsorship of the annual resolution on Eritrea, abandoning the Eritrean people without waiting to see tangible human rights improvements. In June 2019, given the withdrawal of African sponsors, the resolution, originally initiated by African nations, was taken up by a group of six Western states – and later by the European Union.
Far from easing repression, the Eritrean regime has only intensified its abuses since 2018. Thousands remain imprisoned without trial, indefinite national service continues, and Eritrea has actively participated in war crimes during the Tigray conflict (2020 -2022). The peace agreement itself has collapsed, raising fears of renewed conflict with Ethiopia.
The Eritrean government’s failure to implement reforms after 2018-2019 developments proves that the real issue is not foreign intervention but the regime’s outright refusal to respect human rights of its citizens.
African Solidarity Should Be with the People, Not the Dictators
It is deeply troubling that while many African states have abstained on Eritrea-focused resolutions since 2019, several continue to vote “No,” prioritising solidarity with a dictatorship over solidarity with the oppressed people of Eritrea. The African Union upholds the values of human rights, democracy, and self-determination; yet, by backing the Eritrean regime, these nations betray those very principles and enable further demand that African nations stand with the victims, not the perpetrators. Supporting the Eritrean regime contradicts these principles and enables further suffering.
Eritreans have endured colonisation under Italian rule, fought a 30-year war against Ethiopian annexation, and now struggle against the tyranny of their own government. True African solidarity means standing with the oppressed, not shielding their oppressors. It means supporting Eritreans’ rights to live in freedom and dignity, rather than legitimising the regime that robs them of both.
The Eritrean Regime’s Failed Attempt to Eliminate the SR Mandate
For six years (2019–2024), the Eritrean regime held a seat on the UN Human Rights Council, not to advance human rights, but to shield itself from accountability and dismantle international scrutiny, particularly the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Eritrea. Yet, despite years of aggressive lobbying and political manoeuvring, it failed to eliminate the mandate. Now, having completed two terms on the Council, the regime is resorting to desperate diplomatic pressure, urging states to oppose the mandate.
This failure underscores an undeniable truth: the SR mandate is not a political tool but a necessary response to Eritrea’s ongoing human rights abuses. The regime’s relentless efforts to silence scrutiny reveal its true priorities, not reform, not justice, but the continuation of unchecked repression.
The Need for Continued International Scrutiny and Accountability
The Special Rapporteur mandate exists because the Eritrean government continues to trample on the fundamental rights of its people. Nations that claim to uphold human rights cannot allow the rhetoric of “non-selectivity” and the fight against “double standards” to be weaponized against victims. Impartiality does not mean turning a blind eye to atrocities, it means ensuring that no regime, no matter how relentless its propaganda, is shielded from accountability. Non-selectivity means, precisely, keeping a focus, through meaningful resolutions, on the most serious human rights situation around the world.
Eritreans deserve justice. The international community must not be swayed by the regime’s diplomatic manoeuvring but must instead stand listen to countless victims who continue to suffer under one of the world’s most repressive governments. Silence and appeasement only embolden the oppressor—true commitment to human rights demands unwavering action.
Conclusion: The Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea Must Continue to Hold the Eritrean Government Accountable
Instead of addressing the human rights crisis or implementing basic reforms—such as accepting the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) recommendations, establishing democratic institutions, releasing all prisoners of conscience, and creating an independent judiciary and free press, the Eritrean government has aggressively campaigned to dismantle the SR mandate. This is a clear attempt to evade accountability for its continued abuses.
The international community must remain resolute in upholding the mandate to ensure the Eritrean regime is held accountable for its ongoing crimes against humanity against its own people. The Eritrean people deserve more than empty promises, they deserve freedom, dignity, and justice, not the relentless oppression they endure under a regime that has shown no intention of change.
Human Rights Concern – Eritrea (HRCE)
