RIP Hissene Habre

Discussion in 'Africa' started by Jack Hays, Aug 25, 2021.

  1. Jack Hays

    Jack Hays Well-Known Member Donor

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    I don't claim Habre was necessarily a good man, but he was not outside the norm for his country, Chad, a very rough place. His successors have not done much better in terms of human rights. One story is instructive.
    On taking colonial possession of Chad, French authorities dispatched one Lt. Lamy to take the news to Chad's tribal chieftains. By way of reply, the chieftains returned the unfortunate lieutenant's skin. Chad's capital, now called Ndjamena, was called Ft. Lamy under French rule in Lamy's memory.
    Habre authored two smashing victories over the Libyans in the 1980's: at Faya Largeau and Ouadi Doum. The battles were notable for the huge disparity between Libyan KIA (thousands) and Libyan wounded (a handful) in each. The obvious conclusion was that the Chadians were uninterested in prisoners.
    He was a man of his time and place.
    Hissène Habré, former leader of Chad convicted of crimes against humanity, dies at 79
    His conviction in 2016, a landmark in international law, stemmed from his reign of torture and political killings in the 1980s.

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