UN human rights council prolongs monitoring of Sudan

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday effectively prolonged its monitoring of Sudan despite opposition from several African and non-aligned countries as well as China and Russia.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday effectively prolonged its monitoring of Sudan despite opposition from several African and non-aligned countries as well as China and Russia.

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The 47 member states on the Council voted by 20 to 18, with nine abstaining, to designate an independent expert to monitor the human rights situation in the country, especially in strife-torn Darfur, for a year.

The move came as the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Sudan, Sima Samar, expired this month and Khartoum lobbied to block its renewal.

The African group was split in the vote, with many countries abstaining while mainly Muslim nations supported the Sudanese government, and Mauritius and Zambia sided with western nations in supporting the UN expert.