Alleged victims of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré get their day in court
- 9 years ago
A historic trial scheduled for late July will see former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré face charges of human rights abuses.
After falling from power in 1990 Habré sought exile in Senegal.
Now, after 25 years Hissène Habré will answer charges in a specially commissioned court in Dakar.
The trial will be the first in which courts of one country can prosecute the former ruler of another.
Clement Abaifouta has long campaigned for those who suffered under Hissène Habré and now leads a victims association: “We are here at Hamral Gouz, on what is called the plain of the dead. Under my feet, beneath this sand, there are bones, the bones of my colleagues, victims, which I buried here with my own hands. “
The outskirts of N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, bears testament to one of the darkest chapters of the country’s history.
It is the site of one of the mass graves dating from the time of Hissène Habré, who led a reign of terror in the country, between 1982 and 1990.
Clement Aba
After falling from power in 1990 Habré sought exile in Senegal.
Now, after 25 years Hissène Habré will answer charges in a specially commissioned court in Dakar.
The trial will be the first in which courts of one country can prosecute the former ruler of another.
Clement Abaifouta has long campaigned for those who suffered under Hissène Habré and now leads a victims association: “We are here at Hamral Gouz, on what is called the plain of the dead. Under my feet, beneath this sand, there are bones, the bones of my colleagues, victims, which I buried here with my own hands. “
The outskirts of N’Djamena, the Chadian capital, bears testament to one of the darkest chapters of the country’s history.
It is the site of one of the mass graves dating from the time of Hissène Habré, who led a reign of terror in the country, between 1982 and 1990.
Clement Aba