The International Court Of Justice Has Ruled That Senegal Must Begin Proceedings To Try Chad’s Former Leader Hissene Habre “Without Delay” Or Be Extradited To Belgium For Trial.

Hissene Habre was the leader of Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in a Coup 1990 by Idris Deby, like his counterparts in Africa he is accused of gross human rights violations during his term in office. Habré first came to international attention when a group under his command attacked the town of Bardaï in Tibesti, on 21 April 1974, and took three Europeans hostage, with the intention of ransoming them for money and arms. The captives were a German physician, Dr. Christoph Staewen (whose wife Elfriede was killed in the attack), and two French citizens, Françoise Claustre, an archeologist, and Marc Combe, a development worker. Staewen was released on 11 June 1974 after significant payments by West German officials.

Combe escaped in 1975, but despite the intervention of the French Government, Claustre (whose husband was a senior French government official) was not released until 1 February 1977. Habré split with Oueddei, partly over this hostage-taking incident (which became known as the “Claustre affair” in France).

Despite his political back ground as a gangster Hissene Habre rose to prominence in 1978 when he was appointed the Prime of Chad replacing Felix Malloum who had held both Prime Minister and Presidence since 1975. When Malloum’s predidence ended , Goukouni Oueddei  was elected the next President of Chad, however, his term of office was cut short by  Hissene Habre  when he deposed him in 1982 and he abolished the post of Prime Minsiter.

For those who do not know how dictators operate, they create or support posts which are to serve their interests, and once those interests are no longer needed, they abolish those posts they have created or supported.  Here in Rwanda, the then a young rebel leader Paul Kagame who  had captured power from the murderous regime of Habyarimana and his comrades(Abatabazi), he  opportunistically said he never wanted to be the President, he  instead  gave power  without power to President Pastuer Bizimungu,  however,  the real power was still  in the hands of the giver. 

President Kagame created the Post of Vice- President which he gave himself and that of the Minister of Defence. It was not long when he just pushed his President and installed himself using his rubber stamp called the Parliament. Indeed, he immediately abolished the post of the Vice- President.  Before I come back to President Kagame , let me first take the readers of this article through  the political journey of Hissene Habre so that  you can   get the real picture of these two guys but most importantly to  see how African people  have suffered at the hands of their fellow countrymen, Rule with Iron fist characterized with murders and torture

As I have mentioned above Hissene Habré ruled Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in 1990 by Idriss Déby. He then fled to Senegal. Habré’s one party regime was characterized by widespread human rights abuses and atrocities. Habré’s government periodically engaged in ethnic cleansing against groups such as the Sara, Hadjerai and the Zaghawa, killing and arresting group members in masse when it perceived that their leaders were posing a threat to the regime. Following his rise to power, Habré created a secret police force known as the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS), under which opponents of Habré were tortured and executed. Some methods of torture commonly used by the DDS included; burning with incandescent objects, spraying of gas into the eyes, ears, and nose; forced swallowing of water, and forcing the mouths of detainees around the exhaust pipes of running cars. It is estimated that 40,000 Chadians nationwide either died in detention or were executed under Habré, and that over 200,000 were subjected to torture. Human Rights Watch later dubbed Habré “Africa‘s Pinochet.”

Similarly,  President Kagame has created his notorious  Military Intelligence Directorate(DMI) which kills all the people perceived to be political opponents of the Kigali regime, under Kagame’s rule people have disappeared, throats cut, terrorism of murder is also exported to the hiding places of his opponents who flee for their lives in the neighboring countries and beyond. Some people, who I will say are lucky, are incarcerated and tried in Kangaroo courts which later convict them to life.  This is another tragedy to a country that suffered genocide where almost one million people were massacred by their fellow countrymen.  It is estimated that the number of people who have disappeared or killed under the rule of Kagame outweighs the number of people who died in the whole conflict of Rwanda since independence from Belgium.

War with Neighbors

Kagame has invaded his neighbor Congo, which he has repeatedly denied even where overwhelming evidence pin the government of Rwanda of supporting his proxy the M23 and other groups. Unfortunately the United States and other European countries have continued to keep a deaf ear despite all these testimonies from their organizations and UN report. These powerful and rich nations have continued to train and support the government of Rwanda in the same way they used to give Military training and logistics to Hissene Habre during the conflict between Chad and Libya.

Despite all the above mentioned support that all the above countries gave to Habré’s government, a rebel offensive in November 1990, which was led by Idriss Déby, a Zaghawa former army commander who had participated in a plot against Habré in 1989 and subsequently fled to Sudan, defeated Habré’s forces. The French chose not to assist Habré on this occasion, allowing him to be ousted; it is possible that they actively aided Déby. Explanation and speculation regarding the reasons for France’s abandonment of Habré include the adoption of a policy of non-interference in intra-Chadian conflicts, dissatisfaction with Habré’s unwillingness to move towards multiparty democracy, and favoritism by Habré towards American rather than French companies with regard to oil development. Habré fled to Cameroon, and the rebels entered N’Djamena on 2 December 1990; Habré subsequently went into exile in Senegal.

Documents obtained by Human Rights Watch show that the United States provided Habré’s DDS with training, intelligence, arms, and other support despite knowledge of its atrocities. Records discovered in the DDS’ meticulous archives describe training programs by American instructors for DDS agents and officials, including a course in the United States that was attended by some of the DDS’ most feared torturers. According to the Chadian Truth Commission, the United States also provided the DDS with monthly infusions of monetary aid and financed a regional network of intelligence networks code-named “Mosaic” that Chad used to pursue suspected opponents of Habré’s regime even after they fled the country.

In the summer of 1983, when Libya invaded northern Chad and threatened to topple Habré, France sent 3,000 paratroops with air support, while the Reagan administration provided two AWACS electronic surveillance planes to coordinate air cover. By 1987 Gaddafi’s forces had retreated.

Like President Kagame, Habré was a remarkably able man with a brilliant sense of how to play the outside world,” a former senior U.S. official said. “He was also a bloodthirsty tyrant and torturer. It is fair to say we knew who and what he was and chose to turn a blind eye”

However, everything has a beginning and an end,  Hissene Habre with all the support from France and United States, he might have believed that he is immortal or super human, his fate for either be tried in the host country(Senegal) or be extradited to Belgium is not only a signal to other dictators on the African continent but also a victory to justice .similarly President Kagame  with his admirers like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair still using their influence to collect money  from their respective countries  for Kagame  which Kagame uses to invade Congo and hunt his political opponents will one day dry up.  Indeed, it will not be long when all the atrocities mentioned by Human Rights Watch and UN, but ignored for both political economic interests by the international community will surface and President Kagame  will have no place to hide from the gallows of justice.

 

Jacquline Umurungi

Brussels.

 

 

 

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