A late start for the trial of African justice in Senegal

Former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré leaves the court in Dakar. Photo: GETTY

By Misha Hussain in DAKAR |
Senegal | 30 Jul 2015

An unruly start in the landmark trial of the Chadian dictator Hissène Habré in Dakar.

Hissène Habré, the former president of Chad, will be the first African leader tried for crimes against humanity by another African state. On 20 July, the 72-year-old was escorted from a spacious, air-conditioned prison in Dakar’s scenic Cap Manuel neighbourhood to the Palais de Justice – a stark contrast to the windowless cells in Chad where Habré is alleged to have held prisoners in the baking Sahel heat until they were summoned to be tortured or executed without trial.

Senegal is eager to do things right. The spotlight rests on one of the continent’s few stable democracies to see if Africa can deliver justice for Africans without calling on the Europe-based International Criminal Court (ICC).

“We will try Habré in the name of humanity . . . which Hissène Habré never allowed his victims,” Jacqueline Moudeina, the victims’ lawyer, announced in her opening remarks to a packed courtroom.