Former Chad dictator Hissene Habre dies aged 79

Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre has died in a hospital in Senegal. He was 79. Recently, Habre had contracted COVID-19 according to local media reports. His death on Tuesday at a Dakar hospital was confirmed by director of the penitentiary administration.
The former dictator’s government was accused of killing tens of thousands and became the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity by an African court after spending decades in luxurious exile in Senegal. The former dictator had been sentenced to life imprisonment in 2016 but finally served about five years in prison following his trial on charges linked to his time in power from 1982 to 1990. Habre was born the son of a farmer in the northern Chadian town in 1942. Habre became prime minister under then-President Felix Malloum in 1978. In 1982, Habre deposed President Goukouni Oueddei, beginning his eight years as head of state.