By Pascal Fletcher DAKAR, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Victims of torture under the rule of former Chad President Hissene Habre accused Senegal on Wednesday of trying to put off his trial for several years and said they had already waited too long for justice. Senegal, where Habre has lived in exile since his overthrow in 1990, agreed at an African Union summit last year to try Habre, who faces charges over 40,000 political killings and 200,000 cases of torture registered during his administration. Habre has said he was unaware of the abuses, which were condemned by a subsequent Chadian government inquiry. The N’Djamena-based Association of Victims of Political Crimes and Repression in Chad said it was “very surprised” by media reports quoting Senegal’s foreign minister saying it would take at least three years to organise a trial for Habre. Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio made the comments on Tuesday on the sidelines of an AU summit in Addis Ababa, arguing that legal procedures required time. “It’s now more than 16 years since Hissene Habre fled Chad and went to hide in Dakar and his victims have been seeking justice from Senegal for seven years,” the victims’ group said. “We don’t see why we still have to wait for another three years for this trial,” it added in a statement. “AFRICA’S PINOCHET” Ahead of this week’s AU summit, international human rights groups had also called on African leaders to press for a speedy trial by Senegal. They call Habre “Africa’s Pinochet” after the late Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet whose political police were accused of committing widespread killings and torture. But Gadio rejected what he called “paternalistic and sometimes even disrespectful pressure” from outside Africa, saying Senegal would deal with Habre in its own time. “We’ll deal with him ourselves at home and nobody is going to impose a particular speed on us,” he told France’s RFI radio. Victims say Habre’s political police imprisoned, tortured and murdered tens of thousands of Chadian civilians suspected of opposing his rule during a reign of terror in the 1980s. Senegalese courts have previously decided they cannot try Habre and refused to rule on an extradition request by Belgium. The West African country must pass new legislation against torture to provide the legal basis for the trial to go ahead. The Dakar government approved the necessary legislation and created a commission to prepare the trial in November, when it also appealed for foreign funding for the case, but parliament has yet to start dealing with the bill. The Chadian victims’ group said the case against Habre had already been prepared in both Belgium and Senegal and there was no need for further lengthy legal work. “It is entirely fair that Hissene Habre’s rights should be respected, but this should not take place to the detriment of the victims and their rights to obtain justice,” the association said in its statement. Habre leads a reclusive life in a Dakar mansion but has won support among Senegal’s politically influential marabouts, or Muslim teachers. Senegal holds presidential elections on Feb. 25 and some observers believe any advance in the Habre case may only take place after the polls. (Additional reporting by Diadie Ba)
