HISSENE HABRE

Hissène Habré was born in 1942 in Faya-Largeau, northern Chad, which was then a French colony. He hailed from a family of shepherds and belonged to the Anakaza branch of the Daza Gourane ethnic group, part of the larger Toubou ethnic group. After completing his primary education, he entered the French colonial administration, where he distinguished himself and earned a scholarship to study at the Institute of Higher International Studies in Paris. Habré achieved a university degree in political science and eventually obtained several other degrees, including a Doctorate.

Upon his return to Chad in 1971, Habré briefly served in government before joining the National Liberation Front of Chad (FROLINAT) as a commander. He played a significant role in the group, which later splintered into factions. Habré's rise to prominence began in earnest in April 1974, when his forces took hostages in an attack on the town of Bardaï, bringing him international attention. His command included controversial hostage situations that strained relations within FROLINAT and led to internal conflicts.

In 1978, Habré was appointed Prime Minister and Vice President of Chad as part of a power-sharing agreement with General Félix Malloum. However, this alliance soon deteriorated into violence, and by 1979, Habré had fled into exile. He returned in 1982, successfully seizing control of N'Djamena and ruling until his overthrow in 1990 by Idriss Déby.

Habré's presidency was marked by severe human rights abuses, with reports indicating that his regime was responsible for widespread torture and executions through his secret police, the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS). His government was accused of committing approximately 40,000 killings, leading to him being dubbed "the African Pinochet." Following his ousting, Habré fled to Senegal with a significant sum of public funds, where he faced numerous allegations of war crimes.

In the years that followed, international pressure mounted for Habré to be held accountable for his actions. Belgium invoked universal jurisdiction to indict him in 2005 while he remained under house arrest in Senegal. In 2008, Senegal amended its laws to facilitate his trial but initially delayed proceedings, citing a lack of funding. This led to intervention from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which mandated Senegal to either extradite Habré or initiate a trial.

After a lengthy process, Habré was arrested in Senegal on June 30, 2013, and charged with crimes against humanity. His trial began on July 20, 2015, but faced delays due to legal disputes. On May 30, 2016, Habré was found guilty of rape, sexual slavery, and ordering thousands of murders, receiving a life sentence. This trial was historic as it marked the first time an African court had convicted a former leader for human rights violations.

In May 2017, the court upheld Habré's life sentence, though one rape conviction was overturned due to procedural issues. After a brief period of temporary release in April 2020 for COVID-19 quarantine, Habré returned to prison. He passed away in Senegal on August 24, 2021, after being hospitalized with COVID-19, a week after celebrating his 79th birthday.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiss%C3%A8ne_Habr%C3%A9