Former Chadian President Hissene Habre was yesterday removed from the courtroom at his trial for crimes against humanity begins.
He shouted that the process was “a farce”, as he was waiting for proceedings to begin.
The trial in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, marks the first time one African country has prosecuted the former leader of another.
Mr Habre denies being responsible for hundreds of deaths during his rule from 1982 to 1990.
The trial follows a 25-year campaign to bring him to justice.
Many of Mr Habre’s alleged victims have been calling for it since his overthrow and exile in Senegal in 1990.
Parallels were later drawn with the attempts to get the former Chilean military leader Augusto Pinochet extradited and put on trial for crimes against humanity in Spain in 1998.
Mr Habre does not recognise the court and was brought there by prison guards.
Waiting for the trial to open, the former Chadian leader shouted: “Down with imperialists. [The trial] is a farce by rotten Senegalese politicians. African traitors. Valet of America”.
Mr Habre was taken out of the courtroom and the trial began without him.
He then refused to come in after the break that followed the opening statements, and the trial has been suspended until Tuesday when the judges ordered that Mr Habre would be forced to attend.
Victims of Hissene Habre’s regime have waited 25 years to have this day in court.
Many doubted that Mr Habre would even show up, as up to now he had refused to cooperate with the court, but he did appear, albeit briefly, surrounded by a dozen security guards.
Despite the scuffle that took place inside the court-room as he was removed, the trial started on time and the first 100 witnesses are in Dakar waiting to give evidence.
The African Union requested that Senegal establish this court so that Mr Habre would be tried “on behalf of Africa”.
As many see the International Criminal Court as unfairly pursuing African leaders, this trial is a step towards creating grounds for credible international justice in Africa.
This is a huge opportunity to show that Africa can hold its leaders to account.
