Senegal has suspended its plan to send Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre back to his own country, Foreign Minister Madicke Niang announced Sunday. The government agreed to reverse its decision to repatriate Habre after a last-minute plea by the United Nations.
"Senegal has decided to suspend the expulsion measure against Hissene Habre," Niang said in comments broadcast on the state broadcast RTS. Dakar would hold talks with the United Nations and the European Union to find a solution, he added. The decision came after growing pressure from the international community who feared for Habre's safety in Chad, where in 2008 a court condemned him to death for crimes against humanity following a trial held in his absence.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay issued a statement earlier Sunday, urging Senegal to reconsider its decision to send the 69-year-old back to his home country.
She argued that there were insufficient guarantees of a fair trial. Belgium, which has been pressing Senegal to extradite Habre there for trial, in a case brought there by victims of his regime, had also condemned Dakar's plans.
Habre's lawyer, rights organisations and a lawyer for victims of Habre's regime had also voiced their objections. Habre has spent 20 years in exile in the west African country.
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