Union Commission on the Hissene Habré case, received by President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad

Ndjamena, 11 November 2014 - H.E Justice Robert Dossou, Special Representative of H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission was received in audience on Tuesday 11 November 2014 by H.E. Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad and Head of State, in the presence of Prof. Vincent O. Nmehielle, the Legal Counsel of the AU and other officials of the AU Commission.

The visit of the AU Delegation to Chad falls within the framework of ongoing consultations on the implementation of the Decisions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), on the Hissene Habre Case.

Discussions during this meeting was aimed at enhancing and consolidating the cooperation between the Chadian Government and the Extraordinary African Chambers in a bid to continue with the pending trial of Former President of Chad, Hissene Habre, curently in detention in Dakar.

During the audience, Justice Dossou informed President Idriss Deby that the AUC Chairperson is concerned about the possible delay in the trial of Mr. Hissene Habre and decided to send this special mission to engage in consultations with the different authorities of Chad and Senegal in terms of consolidating the cooperation between the two countries in order to ensure a smooth trial. “ Dr. Dlamini Zuma would like to see that Africa’s judicial system is respected for its capacity to resolve its own problems”, underlined the Special Represententive of the AUC Chairperson. He added that the AU will ensure that the trial is undertaken genuinely; in a fair and transparent manner ,which will help to bolster the confidence of the African citizens in African processes.

President Idriss Deby saluted the initiative of the AUC Chairperson in sending the delegation. He expressed the willingness for his Government to cooperate, which will only go to help in ensuring justice and peace in Chad. The President stressed that the successful completion of this trial will be a great stride not only for the people of Chad but also to the entire African continent, as this will confirm that Africa has the competence and capacity to handle its own problems.

Justice Dossou who is a Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Benin and Former President of the Constitutional Court of Benin and the delegation had earlier on Monday 10 November 2014 met with H.E. Mahamat Issa Halikimi, Honourable Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Chad to exchange views on the way forward to facilitate the work of the court in expediting the trial of Mr. Hissene Habre.

The Minister of Justice reiterated Chad’s Government’s comitment to cooperate with the African Union’s efforts to seriously address the issue of impunity.“ The Chadian Government is mostly concerned with this issue so that justice could be rendered to the people of Chad and also for justice to prevail for all of Africa”, he emphacised.
Both the AUC Chairperson Special Representative and the Legal Counsel of the AU expressed the wish of H.E Dr. Dlamini Zuma for the Habre case to be concluded in a fair and transparent manner.
In the same context, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the AU Commission and his delegation will travel to Dakar from 17 to 22 November 2014 to meet with the Senegalese authorities, the Administrator of the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) and Members of the Steering Committee for the funding of the trial. The Extraordinary African Chambers was established in Dakar with the mandate to investigate and prosecute the most responsible (s) of the international crimes committed in Chad from 1982 to 1990. Mr. Hissene Habré, Former President of Chad is accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture during his presidency from 1982 to 1990.

Interview requests should be addressed to Ms. Esther Azaa Tankou, Head of Information Division, Directorate of Information and Communication of the African Union, Tel: +251 911361185 E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org / esthertankou@yahoo.com

For more information, please contact the Office of Legal Counsel of the AU at the following address: Tel: +251 11 518 23 , E-mail: CamaraF@africa-union.org.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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