Former Chadian leader Habre's case suspended until September

The case of Chad's ex-President Hissene Habre that began on Monday in Dakar, has been suspended until Sept. 7, 2015, the president of the African Special Court sitting in the Senegalese capital, Gberdao Gustave Kam, said Tuesday.

The decision was taken just a few minutes after the start of the second day of hearing of the case in which the former Chadian leader is accused of war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity.

The decision was taken because Habre was present in court in the absence of his lawyers who boycotted the session on the request of their client.

The former Chadian leader has termed the African Special Court that was formed under the Senegalese judiciary to try him on behalf of the African Union (AU), as an "extraordinary administrative committee" that is "illegitimate and illegal."

On Monday, he announced he would not attend the hearing session but he was forced on Tuesday to appear before the judges.

The opening of the case was historic because this is the first time that a former African president was being charged on the African soil by an African country, on behalf of the rest of the continent.

Habre, 73 years old, who was in power between 1982 to 1990, is currently detained in Dakar where he had been living since the fall of his regime.

According to the charges, repression during his regime resulted in some 40,000 deaths.