http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8071782.stm
The UN's highest court has decided to hold Hissene Habré's trial in Senegal. Will this trial ever take place? How much longer will it take Senegal to gather enough funds for the investigation and to hold the trial?
A brief history: on February 3rd 2000, the world’s attention turned to Senegal as its Dakar Regional Court indicted a criminal from another African state for crimes committed outside its territory. Senegal’s bold and unprecedented decision to apply universal jurisdiction to prosecute Habré positively surprised many African states as well as the international community. 5 months later, the Appeals Court ruled that Senegal did not have jurisdiction to try Habré. On March 20th, 2001, the case was brought before Senegal’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, which upheld the decision of the Appeals Court.
Fast forward to June 2006, the Committee of legal experts at the African Union’s Ordinary Session ordered Senegal to prosecute Habré there. However, since then, there have been little, if any, progress towards the long-awaited trial for the Chadian victims. In the midst of Charles Taylor's trial in the Hague, we'll wait to see if and when Habré will stand trial in Dakar.
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