Reports

The United States and Chad’s Hissène Habré 1982-1990

This report describes how France, and especially the United States, were pivotal in bringing Habré to power, although signs of his brutality were already evident. The two countries saw Habré as a bulwark against the expansionist designs of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, whose forces were occupying northern Chad. Human Rights Watch details how both the United States and France continued to provide Habré’s government with critical support, even as it committed widespread and systematic human rights violations.

Chadian president Hissène Habré with US president Ronald Reagan at the White House June 1987. Courtesy of Ronal
A woman looks out of the window of a damaged building

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