Former U.S.-Backed Chadian Dictator Hissène Habré Faces War Crimes Trial

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In news from Africa, the trial of Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad, began in Senegal on Monday but took an unexpected turn today when it was postponed 45 days after Habré's attorneys did not show for the trial. Hissène Habré is a former U.S. ally who has been described as "Africa's Pinochet." He is accused of killing as many as 40,000 people during his eight years in power in the 1980s. Habré is being tried in a special court established after a two-decade-long campaign led by his victims. In a statement today about the postponed trial, attorney Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch said, "The victims are of course very disappointed, but they have been fighting to bring this case to court for 25 years, and 45 days will not change anything in the long march towards justice." "Democracy Now!" recently spoke to Reed Brody in New York before he left for Senegal for the trail. He has worked with victims of Hissène Habré's regime since 1999.