Morocco beats SA to lead UN rights body

Morocco won a vote on Wednesday to lead the UN Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with SA, which said Rabat’s human rights record made it unfit to preside over the body.

The Moroccan candidate, Omar Zniber, received 30 votes and his SA opponent, Mxolisi Nkosi, secured 17 in a secret ballot in Geneva.

Speaking before the vote, Nkosi said Morocco is the “antithesis of what the council stands for”, adding that the country’s election would undermine the body’s credibility.

Morocco accused SA and other African states of undermining its efforts to hold the position, a prestigious but mostly symbolic post.

“The kingdom’s election, supported by a large number of countries around the globe in spite of Algeria’s and SA’s efforts to counter it, demonstrates the trust and the credibility inspired by Morocco’s external actions,” the Moroccan foreign ministry said.

The vote marks a rare public dispute in the African group whose turn it is to lead the 47member council. It normally strives to take decisions as a bloc.

The dispute in part concerns Morocco’s claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara, where the Algeria-backed Polisario Front is seeking independence.

Morocco has denied allegations of rights abuses against its opponents there.

Morocco has been courting countries, including African neighbours, to build support for its policies for the former Spanish territory.

It has failed to get the support of SA, which helped organise an event in Geneva in 2023 to promote self-determination for the Sahrawi people.

Advocacy groups say Morocco’s new role should prompt it to safeguard human rights at the highest level.

“In particular, Morocco must refrain from intimidating or carrying out reprisals against human rights defenders engaging with the UN,” said Tess McEvoy, the co-director of the New York office of the International Service for Human Rights.

The UN Human Rights Council, which convenes several times a year, is the only intergovernmental body set up to protect human rights internationally.

It can increase scrutiny of countries and authorise probes.