Regime of Former Chadian President Hissène Habré: “More than 10,000 Victims are Waiting”

maryam lahbal
maryam lahbal
2 Min Read
Hissène Habré

On May 30th, 2016 in Dakar, former Chadian President Hissène Habré was sentenced to life imprisonment by a special court supported by the African Union. Seven years later, the victims of the regime of the former head of state (1982-1990) are still waiting for compensation ordered by the courts. “Many live in precariousness”, underlines the president of an association.

Seven years after the life sentence of Hissène Habré for crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, and rape on May 30th, 2016 by the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special tribunal based in Dakar, the victims of the former Chadian president have still not received anything.

They are waiting to receive the compensation ordered by the courts. Seven Chadian and international organizations are asking the African Union (AU) and the Chadian government to act so that the trust fund is set up to collect the money intended for reparations, i.e. 82 billion CFA francs (about 125 million euros).

“We ask the government, the African Union, to respect their commitment”, recalls Adoumbaye Dam, president of the Association of Victims of Crimes of the Hissène Habré Regime.

Adoumbaye Dam explains that “More than 10,000 victims are waiting, and many are living in precarious conditions. Many are sick because, you know, it’s been almost thirty years. Most of the victims are in their 60s. Some are 70 and 80 years old. Why is this important? I couldn’t pass the baccalaureate, and then I lost three years of my life. You sleep with corpses, dead people, in a cell, for three, or four days. Imagine what that represents. When I left, I didn’t know what to do. If today we are claiming compensation, this sum must be able to allow all the suffering that the victims have endured to appease them”.

Maryam Lahbal

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