Senegal needs special tribunal to try Habré, court rules

A west African regional court on Friday ruled that Senegal cannot alone try exiled former Chadian dictator Hissene Habré for crimes against humanity. It said a special tribunal could be created.

AFP

The prosecution should be carried out "according to international norms that in such situations allow the creation of ad-hoc or special jurisdictions to avoid impunity," the Abuja-based Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) court said in a statement.

Senegal government lawyer Sadel Ndiaye said the case was considered to be “African”, and “the decision of the court goes in the same way".

Meanwhile Habré’s lawyer quoted the court as saying that Senegal has received a mandate and, barring a specific international court or ad-hoc tribunal, Habré could not be prosecuted."

Habré has been living in exile in Senegal since 1990. He has been blamed for the killing and torturing of thousands of people during his rule from 1982 to 1990.

Habré has alleged that his rights are being violated by Dakar, which has been looking into the allegations against him.

An official truth commission report in 1992 accused Habre's regime of committing some 40,000 political murders.