Hissène Habré

Hissène Habré was a Chadian politician who served as the fifth president of Chad. He ruled the nation from 1982 until 1990. Habré was a member of the Toubou ethnic group. He was born in 1942 in Faya-Largeau, which was then a French colony. His family worked as shepherds in northern Chad. He was a highly educated man who studied political science in Paris. He eventually earned a Doctorate from the Institute of Higher International Studies.

Habré rose to power through a series of complex political and military conflicts. He first joined the National Liberation Front of Chad, known as FROLINAT. He became a commander within this rebel group. Later, he led his own army called the Armed Forces of the North, or FAN. He had many disagreements with other leaders, including Goukouni Oueddei. In 1979, Habré served as Prime Minister and Vice President in a coalition government. However, the alliance failed, and fighting broke out in the capital, N'Djamena. By 1982, Habré's FAN forces took control of the capital. This victory allowed him to become the president of Chad.

Once in power, Habré established a one-party dictatorship. In 1984, he created the National Union for Independence and Revolution, or UNIR. This became the only legal political party in the country. To maintain control, he created a secret police force called the Documentation and Security Directorate, or DDS. The DDS was responsible for finding and punishing people who opposed the government. This group used many violent methods to mistreat detainees. They also worked with a network of secret services in other countries called the réseau mosaïque. This network helped them track Chadian dissidents who had fled abroad.

Habré's government was responsible for widespread human rights abuses. He was accused of ordering the killing of many people. A domestic Chadian commission of inquiry stated that as many as 40,000 people were killed. Other groups, like Human Rights Watch, reported that 1,200 people were killed and 12,000 were tortured. Some estimates suggest that more than 200,000 people were subjected to torture. The government also engaged in ethnic cleansing. They targeted groups such as the Sara, Hadjerai, and Zaghawa. These actions were taken when leaders of those groups were seen as threats to the regime.

During his presidency, Habré was supported by powerful foreign nations. The United States and France provided him with money, weapons, and training. They viewed him as a vital ally against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Libya had invaded parts of Chad and occupied the Aozou Strip. This led to the Libyan-Chadian conflict. Between 1986 and 1987, Habré fought the Toyota War against Libyan forces. With French air support and American surveillance planes, Habré's forces won the war.

Habré's rule ended through a coup d'état in 1990. A former army commander named Idriss Déby led a rebel offensive. Déby was a member of the Zaghawa ethnic group. After his forces defeated Habré, the new leader took control of N'Djamena. Habré fled the country and went into exile in Senegal. He lived there for many years, including a period under house arrest. He had taken approximately $11 million of public money with him when he fled.

In 2016, a historic legal process took place in Senegal. An international tribunal worked alongside the African Union to judge Habré. He was found guilty of crimes against humanity. These crimes included rape, sexual slavery, and the mass killing of opponents. This was a landmark event in international law. Habré was the first former head of state to be convicted for human rights abuses by the court of another nation. He was sentenced to life in prison. He died on 24 August 2021, after testing positive for COVID-19.