Dakar — The United States announcement of a US$1million contribution to the special Senegalese court charged with trying the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré affirms the importance of Senegal's efforts to ensure justice for Chadian victims in Africa, Human Rights Watch said today.
The US contribution was announced on October 1, 2013, after a meeting between Stephen J. Rapp, U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, and Senegalese Justice Minister Sidiki Kaba. It follows President Barack Obama's pledge while in Dakar in June to support the Extraordinary African Chambers, created in February to try the worst crimes of Hissène Habré's government in Chad. On July 2, the chambers indicted Habré for crimes against humanity, torture, and war crimes, and placed him in pretrial detention.
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