The UN Human Rights Council (Council) was established in 2006 to overcome the perceived politicisation of its predecessor, the UN Human Rights Commission. This article provides initial observations of its work, based on heretofore unpublished accounts of its proceedings. Using the example of Council inaction on Darfur, evidence is examined to confirm initial fears that the Council would fail to avoid the politicisation that undermined the Commission. The collective determination of politically allied states to shift attention away from Sudan and weaken any resolution that might be passed was the major cause of the Council’s inaction on Darfur. This article examines a first-hand account of the Council’s discussions, centring both on Sudan and its general debates, in order to ascertain the positions taken by the main regional groups. The article highlights the tactics used by supporters of the Sudanese government to ensure weakened action.