US, France Backed Convicted Chad Dictator

(Paris, June 28, 2016) – The United States and France supported Hissène Habré, the former Chadian dictator who was convicted of atrocity crimes on May 30, 2016, throughout his rule, Human Rights Watch said in two reports released today.The 64-page report, “Enabling a Dictator: The United States and Chad’s Hissène Habré 1982-1990s,” and the 142-page “Hissène Habré: Supported by France, Convicted by Africa,” describe how France, and especially the United States, were pivotal in bringing Habré to power, despite his reputation for brutality. Human Rights Watch describes how both the United States and France provided Habré’s government with critical support, even as it committed widespread and systematic human rights violations. The two countries saw Habré as a bulwark against the expansionist designs of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, whose forces were occupying northern Chad.
 
Human Rights Watch multimedia publications on Hissène Habré's trial:
Hissène Habré: Scenes from an Historic Trial
Senegal/Chad: Act 1 of the Hissène Habré Trial
Senegal: Trial of Chad Ex-Dictator Begins
Senegal: Hissène Habré Trial
Facing Justice: Victims Bring Dictator Hissène Habré to Trial