Arresting Habré

Abstract

This chapter addresses the role of Marcel Mendy, head of Communications for the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC), and his office during Hissène Habré's arrest, the most politically sensitive moment of the process. At the EAC, Mendy's unit reported on the activities of the EAC, represented the EAC as spokesperson, and organized media events for the prosecutor. A central task of the unit was to organize media coverage of the Habré trial by the national and international press through accreditation and streaming the trial on the EAC's website. Mendy's unit was also in charge of keeping Habré's arrest confidential until the operation occurred. On the basis of information obtained from investigation reports established in both Brussels and N'Djamena about detention centres and suspected locations of mass graves, Prosecutor M'Backé Fall decided to proceed with the arrest of Hissène Habré a few days after his return from a mission in Chad. Information had to be locked down to keep the opposing camp from being alerted. Indeed, the public only learned of the arrest the following day.