Chad’s Ex-Leader Hissene Habre Has Died: Senegalese Minister

Former Chadian president Hissène Habré, who was serving a life term in Senegal for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has died, according to Senegalese Justice Minister Malick Sall.

Habré, who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, was a brutal dictator under whose reign tens of thousands of people were executed, tortured or jailed.

Sentenced to life after a landmark trial, Habré spent his final years as a prisoner in Senegal, where he died in hospital, Senegalese officials confirmed Tuesday.

In May 2016, Habré was handed a life term for war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture by the Extraordinary African Chambers, a tribunal created by Senegal and the African Union (AU).

The trial set a global precedent, establishing the first time that a country prosecuted a former leader of another nation for rights abuses. The sentence was upheld in 2017.

The court ordered him to pay compensation to each victim who suffered rape, arbitrary detention and imprisonment during his rule, as well as to their relatives.

A desert warfare specialist, Habré’s rule was marked by fierce crackdowns on dissent, including alleged torture and executions of opponents, earning him comparisons to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Investigators found that more than 40,000 people were killed during his rule.

The son of a farmer, Habré was born in Faya-Largeau, northern Chad, and grew up among nomads in the Djourab desert.

His intelligence landed him a job as a local official before he left for Paris in 1963 to study law and attend Sciences-Po, the prestigious political science school. One of his influences at the time was Ernesto “Che” Guevara.