I am writing this post mostly as an excuse to point readers to this beautiful op-ed by Souleymane Guengueng, who served twenty-seven months in prison during the reign of Chadian dictator Hissène Habré. The whole piece merits a read, but I found Guengueng’s discussion of how Nelson Mandela’s story inspired him to fight for justice particularly moving:
As we were cut off from the outside world, our only news was that brought by new prisoners. It was thus that Brahim, a man who would later die in jail, told us that Nelson Mandela had been freed and had walked out of prison a hero.
[…]
Nelson Mandela showed us that prison can strengthen a man. After my release, I gathered the stories of 792 other Chadian prisoners and took them to Senegal. Ten years ago this week, based in part on my evidence, a judge in Senegal charged Mr. Habré with torture and crimes against humanity. Sadly the Senegalese government has not yet brought the case to trial.
For the sake of Guengueng and others, I hope Habré will soon face trial.
N'Djamena Airport, Chad
But what if he doesn’t? I do not want to imply criticism of the Senegalese government, or of the admirable work that truth and reconciliation commissions have done in many African countries, or of any national-level movements for justice in Africa, but I feel like I hear more and more calls by African elites for continent-wide structures for addressing issues of justice and governance.
What would that look like? First, the desire to enforce accountability does not mean that African elites want outsiders to intervene: note the African Union’s continued uneasiness about the International Criminal Court. Nor does it mean that African states are all ready to surrender sovereignty to other bodies. But look at the Economic Community of West African States applying pressure to leaders like President Mamadou Tandja of Niger and Captain Moussa Dadis Camara of Niger. Look at the new AU chairman, Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika, stating an attitude of zero tolerance for coups, conflicts, and wars. Powerful forces are pushing toward greater authority for regional and continental political authorities. Continental judicial institutions already exist.
Habré’s case raises a lot of important issues. As I said, I hope the efforts of Guengueng and others will soon bring about justice. But if justice is slow in coming, the African voices who call for the continent to act as one in the judicial arena may reach a broader and broader audience.
What do you think?
Sahel Blog 