Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Former Chadian President Hissene Habre, who was an ally to the West during the Cold War and later convicted of war crimes, died of COVID-19 on Tuesday. He was 79.
Habre was diagnosed and hospitalized with the coronavirus disease in Senegal more than a week ago. He had been serving a life sentence for war crimes that occurred under his reign from 1982 to 1990.
His condition worsened and he was taken to a hospital in Dakar, where he died.
An investigative commission found in the 1990s that Habre's government carried out nearly 40,000 political murders and 200,000 cases of torture.
Habre was given a life sentence in 2016. His trial was the first time an African Union-backed court tried a former ruler for human rights abuses.
He'd been accused of rape, sexual slavery and ordering killings. He was eventually overthrown by rebels and sought refuge in Senegal.
A judge allowed him to leave prison in April 2020 after it was determined that he was particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.
During his strong-handed regime during the 1980s, Habre was supported by Western powers like the United States and France, particularly because Chad was so close to Libyan dictator and strong Soviet ally Moammar Gadhafi.