POLITICS
CHAD – Habre victims demand reparations
The victims of the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré are still waiting to receive the compensation ordered by the justice, seven years after his historic conviction in Senegal in 2016, said Friday, May 26, 2023 seven Chadian and international organizations. A few days before this anniversary, two victims died again.
On 30 May 2016, Habré was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture, including sexual violence and rape, by a Senegalese court supported by the African Union. Habré subsequently died in August 2021. Following a separate trial in Chad on 25 March 2015, a Criminal Court sentenced 20 operatives of the Habré regime for torture and murder. Both courts have ordered millions of dollars in compensation for victims. The African Union and the Government of Chad should respect their obligations to victims resulting from these court decisions, the organisations said.
“The victims of Habré are heroes who have fought tirelessly for 25 years to bring their dictator and his minions to justice, and have been awarded millions of dollars in compensation, but to date they have not received a single penny of these reparations.”, noted Jacqueline Moudeina, the victims’ main lawyer. Two of the most active victims have just died, and many are in very poor health and desperately need these repairs.”
On 15 May 2023, Ginette Ngarbaye, who was tortured and raped and gave birth in a secret prison in Habré, died of a long illness. She was secretary of the Association of Victims of Crimes and Repressions of the Hissène Habré regime (AVCRHH) and one of the key witnesses at Habré’s trial. The same day, Fatime Kagone Tchangdoum, whose husband had been murdered by Habré’s security forces in 1983 and who had become an AVCRHH activist, also died. According to the victims group, approximately 400 direct and indirect victims have died since the 2016 verdict.
The trial of Hissène Habré, the only court in the world to convict a former leader of another state for war crimes and crimes against humanity, has been viewed by many observers as “a turning point for justice in Africa.” The African Union welcomed this judgment “significant in that it reinforces the principle advocated by the African Union of finding African solutions to African problems.”
When an Appeals Chamber confirmed Habré’s conviction in April 2017, granting 82 billion CFA francs (about 130 million dollars) to 7,396 identified victims, it commissioned an African Union trust fund to raise money by searching for Habré’s assets and soliciting voluntary contributions. Although the African Union has allocated $5 million to the trust fund, it is still not operational.
In September 2021, following Habré’s death and renewed international interest in the fate of the victims, the African Union sent a delegation to Chad, where it took possession of a building intended for the Fund, which it described as “a turning point in the reparation process” for victims. An AU official said the AU commission was working “to operationalize the fund as soon as possible.” It will be almost a year before a second AU delegation arrives in August 2022 to “set up the provisional secretariat of the fund, […] establish a work plan and set out the modalities of the reparation process”. But she left Chad without having done so.
On 19 September 2022, the Chadian Presidency wrote to the Trust Fund to announce that the government had allocated 10 billion CFA francs (16.5 million dollars). However, according to the AU, this money was not received. On 2 May 2023, Chad’s transitional president, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, told a delegation of the victims group that he had asked the Minister of Finance to make Chad’s contribution available to the victims.
In the Chadian trial of Habré’s henchmen, the Criminal Court of N’Djamena also granted 75 billion CFA francs (about 119 million dollars) in compensation to 7,000 victims, on the charge that the Chadian state would pay half and the other half. The court also ordered the government to erect a monument “within one year” in honour of those killed under the Habré regime, and to create a museum within the headquarters of the former political police (Directorate of Documentation and Security, DDS), where detainees were tortured. The government has not implemented any of these decisions to date.
“The African Union and the Chadian government must work together and implement these court decisions so that victims can finally receive reparations for what we have suffered,” said Adoumbaye Dam Pierre. President of the Association of Victims of Crimes of the Hissène Habré Regime (AVCRHH), a prisoner under the Habré regime. “We have fought for decades for these judgments, and now we have to fight for them to finally be enforced.”
The one-party regime of Hissène Habré (1982-1990) was marked by massive and widespread atrocities, including targeted ethnic repression and sexual and gender-based violence.
The seven organizations calling on the African Union and the Government of Chad to grant reparations are: Amnesty International, the Association of Victims of Crimes of the Hissène Habré Regime (AVCRHH), the Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (ATPDH), Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), REDRESS and the Rose Lokissim Association.
POLITICS
SENEGAL Moussa Tine: “We launch a solemn appeal to the diaspora for the International Exhibition of Investment of the African Diaspora – SIDIA
Exclusive interview with Moussa Tine, the Director General of Urbanism and Habit. From September 26 to 28, 2025, at the Domaine de Choully, Africa – and particularly Senegal goes to meet its diaspora. For three days, the event will bring together several hundred entrepreneurs, including 30 from Senegal, investors, policy makers and artists. It is an unprecedented exhibition that brings together strategic sectors such as housing, agriculture, but also industry and commerce.
Why involve the diaspora and why organize this International Diaspora Investment Fair? Why this fair?
This exhibition today is a moment of exchange, an indispensable meeting point for government policy and particularly the policy of these three sectors, namely housing, construction, agriculture, industry and commerce. It is these three ministries that bring together their strategies, their strengths, to go out to meet the diaspora. The diaspora plays a decisive, extremely important role in the country’s economy and in its socio-economic stability. It is an important moment, a decisive moment, a moment that will also help us to financially complete a number of projects that are underway, but also to give the opportunity to the nationals of the diaspora to contribute to the development of their country. Each ministry today develops projects and this fair is an opportunity to give the diaspora the necessary information, either to integrate these projects or to collaborate with the State in the context of public-private partnerships or direct investments under the auspices of the State. Here is, in a global manner, the object of the exhibition. Today, this the exhibition is a decisive moment, an important one, with challenges defined across the three sectors I have just mentioned.
Thus, what is the economic weight of the diaspora?
The weight of the diaspora is well established. Today, it plays a decisive role in our economy. The diaspora is strong and economically involved, not only in a family way, but also through local and international initiatives. Therefore, involving the diaspora means redefining its role in a strategic way, which must no longer be limited to family support but contribute directly to the development of the country. This can be done through financial investment projects through programmes structured by the Ministry of Urban Planning, Local Authorities and Spatial Planning. I take the example of the PNALRU (National Program for Access to Housing), a project designed and led by the Ministry of Urbanism. We know that most of our fellow citizens in the diaspora have a house or housing project because they want to invest in their home. But often, they do not have the necessary information to do it in a secure way, nor quality support. Projects like the PNALRU offer a secure framework at the level of land, construction, but also marketing, in a transparent manner. These are projects that the State has implemented and which allow the diaspora to have easier access to land, and to participate directly in the national economy. The diaspora complains about not having enough information on state initiatives. This exhibition is a way to reach out to her, to provide as much information as possible about ongoing projects and integration modalities. We know that a part of the diaspora already has the initiative to return or to work in collaboration with the State. This show will therefore be a B2B meeting, a space where the diaspora and the State will be able to meet, establish collaborative relationships, and create what I often call a “return ticket”, that is to say an opportunity for many Senegalese to prepare for a secure and planned return.
Mr. Director, what is the direct message you send to the diaspora, especially to that of Geneva, because the exhibition will take place there?
Yes, the exhibition will be held in Geneva. This choice does not come by chance. Geneva is a financial capital and a business hub. Organizing it there highlights a decisive point in the outcome of projects: the financial dimension and the technical dimension. The objective is that from this exhibition, not only do we provide the necessary information to the diaspora, but also that we mobilize its capital to encourage it to invest in real estate, agriculture and industry. Each ministry will present development projects that the diaspora can appropriate, whether in housing, agriculture or industry. These sectors are linked: industry supports habitat, habitat needs building materials, and agriculture requires infrastructure. This sectoral transversality will allow for maximum opportunities to be created for the diaspora. In Geneva, for three days, we will have exchanges, panels, permanent exhibitions (more than 30 planned), and B2B meetings between the state, professionals, the diaspora, and the private sector. The aim is to mobilize investors, experts and promoters to implement joint projects.
Who are the partners of this project?
In Senegal, we have the Ministry of Urbanism, Territorial Collectivities and Spatial Planning, which leads, with the Ministries of Industry and Trade, and Agriculture as co-organizers. We also work in partnership with Me Events, a structure specialized in the organization of events, and with partners in Geneva, such as the African Village Association and Afrique Néon.
Mr. Director, to conclude, what message do you want to send to the Senegalese in the diaspora?
I take this opportunity to make a solemn appeal to all our fellow citizens of the diaspora. This exhibition is made for you. Its objective is clear: to mobilize the diaspora, not only for its expertise, but also for its investments. Invest in yourself. Invest in Senegal. Invest in Africa. This fair is yours, make it your own, and make it a channel for communication and development. The success of this exhibition will be the success of the national policy towards the diaspora. Senegal comes to you, your country comes to you, in order to discuss your projects and those we develop here. Come in large numbers, because together we can ensure inclusive development where every contribution counts. Thank you and I hope to see you very soon at the Geneva exhibition, from September 26 to 28.
Initially scheduled for Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the major march of the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire – African Democratic Rally (PDCI-RDA), the main opposition party in Côte d’Ivoire, will finally take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025. This postponement was announced by the party’s Executive Secretary, who points out that the decision came after discussions between the PDCI leadership and the authorities of the Abidjan department. The details of these discussions have not been made public.
This demonstration, highly anticipated by the party’s activists and supporters, aims to support the candidacy of its president, Tidjane Thiam, in the presidential election of 2025, and to protest against his removal from the electoral list. A decision that the party qualifies as unfair and unacceptable, arguing for the right of all Ivorian citizens, including those with dual nationality, to participate in the political life of the country.
The route of the march remains unchanged: the protesters will leave from the SOCOCE space of the 2 Plateaux, in the municipality of Cocody, to head towards the headquarters of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI). The party calls for a strong peaceful mobilization in order to convey a clear message: demand inclusive, transparent and peaceful elections.
The removal of Tidjane Thiam and other opposition figures is mainly based on the issue of dual nationality, a legal provision that continues to be debated as the election approaches. The PDCI, which sees in Thiam a rally candidate capable of unifying the Ivorians, intends to make this march a highlight of its campaign and its democratic fight.
Photo credit: Tidiane Thiam page
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Morissanda Kouyaté, received this Sunday, June 1, 2025 in Conakry a delegation from the African Union, on an official visit to Guinea. On this occasion, he reaffirmed the commitment of the transitional authorities to respect the deadlines set for the return to constitutional order, while stressing the historical and central role of Guinea in the construction of the Pan-African project.
« I am very happy. The African Union is at Guinea’s side to accompany and support the vision of the head of state, President Mamadi Doumbouya, in favor of Guinea and Africa, in the political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural fields, declared the head of Guinean diplomacy.
This meeting takes place in a context marked by the preparations for the constitutional referendum scheduled for next September 21.
Morissanda Kouyaté also recalled the founding involvement of Guinea in the creation of the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union. “This visit materializes the commitment of the Peace and Security Council to accompany Guinea in a dynamic of ambitious political and diplomatic transformation,” he stressed.
The minister indicated that all actions related to the transition are currently funded by the national development budget, while calling for a broader mobilization of the international community. “We have requested a round table, called the Basketfront, to seek support to speed up the process. But this does not mean that we will give up,” he said, reiterating President Doumbouya’s willingness to scrupulously respect the scheduled deadlines.
He finally wanted to reassure on the efforts made to ensure an inclusive electoral process. “We are going through a difficult period, and that is why we want all Guineans to be registered in order to obtain a reliable electoral roll,” concluded Morissanda Kouyaté.
Source: guinee360 / Photo credit: Page Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guinea
