Africa-Press – Eritrea. Asmara, 11 January 2023
OM/2/0331/2022
Re: False Allegation that Warrants Accountability
Since 2012, Eritrea has been targeted through politically-motivated UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions and mandates. The underlying purpose and objectives of these campaigns were, and remain, the vilification, isolation and destabilization of the country for wider political aims.
In this respect, the Special Rapporteur’s Report to the 47th Regular Session of the UNHRC in Geneva last June transcended the usual vitriol to add a new dimension and thereby widen the scope and duration of the deplorable witch-hunting campaign against Eritrea.
As it happened, the “Special Rapporteur” (SR) falsely and irresponsibly accused Eritrea stating, among other things:
“.. The Special Rapporteur also received information and reports that Somali soldiers were moved from military training camps in Eritrea to the frontline in Tigray, where they accompanied Eritrean troops as they crossed the Ethiopian border. It is also reported that Somali fighters were present around Aksum. The Government of Somalia denied the participation of Somali soldiers in the Tigray conflict…”
At the time, Eritrea had duly put on record its strong objections to the mendacious Report which was evidently culled from – as it was sadly the pattern with previous Reports – innuendos and dubious sources without proper validation on their veracity and underlying motives.
The facts of the matter were otherwise patently clear. The truth is Eritrea has, and continues to make, modest contributions to Somalia’s ongoing efforts of building and buttressing its defense architecture through training of Special Ground and Naval Forces as well as other related capacity-building programmes. This is an integral part of the aspirations and ongoing national endeavours for a safe, peaceful and prosperous Somali Nation that occupies its rightful role and place within in the Horn of Africa. It is, indeed, part and parcel of reinvigorated dispensation of collective security forged between Member States to enhance regional peace and stability
And, contrary to the allegations peddled in the SR Report, it must be underlined from the outset that not a single Somali trainee was deployed, at any time, in the war that raged in Tigray and other regions in Northern Ethiopia in the last two years. The Somali trainees were fully and solely engaged in the intense training programme during their stay in Eritrea; both until their official inauguration on 12 November 2022 which was graced by the presence of Somalia’s President, H.E. Hassen Sheikh Mahmud, and their subsequent departure to their country.
The mendacious allegations of the Special Rapporteur are in contravention of the Code of Conduct for Special Procedure Mandate-holders of the HRC. In particular, the SR’s conduct is in breach of Article 6 (a) on Prerogatives, which stipulates: “The mandate holders must establish facts, based on objective, reliable information emanating from relevant, credible sources that they have duly cross-checked to the best extent possible”. The SR has also violated the provisions of Article 8 (a) on Source of Information and failed to be guided by “the principles of discretion, transparency, impartiality and even-handedness”.
In the event, the SR should accept responsibility for submitting a fallacious report to the HRC in violation of “the principles of accountability…. in which the principles of independence, impartiality and objectivity are compromised”. The indelible fact is, the SR has failed in his duties to collect objective and reliable information from a wide range of primary and secondary sources.
Against the backdrop of these unacceptable realities and in view of deplorable practices of maligning Eritrea on the basis of false accusations often prepared in cahoots with Eritrea’s arch-enemies, Eritrea requests the Human Rights Council for:-
Excellency, I request that this letter be shared with all HRC members.
Sincerely,
Osman Saleh, Minister
Asmara, Eritrea
cc: HE Volker Türk
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
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