Former Chadian President Hissène Habré, who died in Senegal where he was detained for crimes against humanity, will be buried on Thursday in Dakar, his family said on Wednesday.
“The Habré family, relatives and allies, inform you of the recall to Allah of President Hissène Habré. The body will be laid to rest today, August 26 at 2 p.m. at the Omar Mosque and the burial will take place at the Muslim cemetery of Yoff,” the family said in a statement.
One of his wives, Fatimé Raymonne Habré, had indicated earlier that the former Chadian president would be buried in Senegal, pending a possible rehabilitation in his country. “On that day, he will be laid to rest on Chadian soil, with dignity, respect, consideration and with all the honors due to his rank and what he was all his life,” she added, invoking the will of the deceased.
The Omarian Mosque is one of the most important places of worship in Dakar. The Chadian government had indicated on Tuesday that it would not oppose the repatriation of his remains, but that no official tribute would be paid to him “because of his convictions and out of respect for his victims”.
Former Cameroonian President Ahmadou Ahidjo, who ruled his country from 1960 to 1982 in an authoritarian manner before going into exile and being sentenced to death in absentia, was also buried in Senegal, in Dakar, when he died in 1989.