Hissene Habre
Hissene Habre is the former president of Chad. Habre ruled the country for eight years and is allegedly responsible for 200,000 cases of torture and 40,000 politically motivated murders during his reign.1
On August 15, 2008, Chad Court president Judge Ngarhondo Dgide pronounced death sentences against 12 men tried in absentia with no legal defense, including Hissene Habre. Thirty-two other people were also tried in absentia and sentenced to hard labor for attempting to overturn constitutional order.
Although arrest warrants were not issued for those sentenced in absentia. It is unknown whether Chad would seek Habre's extradition from Senegal.2
Fast Facts
- Born: 1942
- His parents were ethnic Toubou herders in northern Chad1
- Studies in France1
- Chad is an oil producing country in central Africa2
- President of Chad from 1982-19901
- Has been called "Africa's Pinochet"1
- Has lived in exile in Senegal since 19902
- El Hadj Diouf is Habre's lawyer in Senegal2
- 2005: Belgium conducted an investigation and issued an international arrest warrant for Habre3
- July 23, 2008: The Senegalese Government amended their constitution to allow for Habre's prosecution and trial in a Senegalese court1
Timeline
- 1974: He demanded a ransom of 10 million francs for three European hostages his rebels captured1
- 1982 Became President after seizing power from Goukouni Oueddei1
- 1983:Drove the Libyans out of Chad with support by the United States and France1
- 1984: Attacked the ethnic group the Sara1
- 1987: Attacked the ethnic group the Hadjerai1
- 1989-1990: Attacked the ethnic group the Chadian Arabs and the Zaghawa1
- 1990: Disposed as the leader of Chad1
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