Dakar-Senegal:Chad's former dictator Habre awaits verdict on charges of crimes against humanity today

A Senegalese court on Monday is set to rule in the trial of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré for alleged crimes against humanity committed during his 1982-1990 rule marking a historic end to a decades-long quest for justice.

The ruling will mark the first time in the world that the courts of one country will prosecute the former ruler of another country.

The trial in exile of Habré – once dubbed “Africa’s Pinochet” – has been a long quest for justice for the victims and the families of victims of the 73-year-old former Chadian dictator.

More than 90 witnesses have testified in the trial, which began in July last year. Habré is accused of having presided over 40,000 political murders and widespread torture in his Central African homeland. A 1992 Chadian Truth Commission singled out the brutal police force under the former rebel leader-turned-president for some of the worst atrocities during Habré’s reign.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Habré.

Habré has dismissed the tribunal as politically motivated. During the course of the trial, the former rebel leader and his supporters have frequently disrupted proceedings with shouting and singing. He refused legal representation but the court appointed him Senegalese lawyers.

A documentary on the former Chadian strongman, which premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, featured extraordinary closing footage of the former rebel-turned-despot being forcibly carried into the courtroom, kicking and screaming.

France24