Delphine Djiraibe (born 1 December 1960) is a
Chadian attorney and co-founder of the
Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights.In 2006 she also founded the Public Interest Law Center (PILC).
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
has described her as "one of Chad's most prominent human rights lawyers".
In 2004, she was awarded the
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for her work.
Early life and education
Djiraibe was born on 1 December 1960 in
Koumra,
Chad. She completed a bachelor's degree in
Moundou
Moundou () is the second largest city in Chad and is the capital of the region of Logone Occidental.
The city lies on the Mbéré River (a tributary of the Western Logone) some 475 kilometres south of the capital N'Djamena. It is the main cit ...
and a degree in law at the
Marien Ngouabi University Marien Ngouabi University (French: ''Université Marien Ngouabi'', UMNG) is the only state-funded university in the Republic of Congo. It is located in the capital of Brazzaville.
History
The University of Brazzaville was founded on 4 December 19 ...
in 1989.
Background
In the final years of the dictatorship of
Hissène Habré
Hissène Habré (Arabic: ''Ḥusaīn Ḥabrī'', Chadian Arabic: ; ; 13 August 1942 – 24 August 2021), also spelled Hissen Habré, was a Chadian politician and convicted war criminal who served as the 5th president of Chad from 1982 u ...
, Djiraibe was studying law in
Congo Brazzaville
The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...
. After Habré was overthrown in a rebellion by
Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby Itno ' (18 June 1952 – 20 April 2021) was a Chadian politician and military officer who was the president of Chad from 1990 until his death in 2021.
Déby was a member of the Bidayat clan of the Zaghawa ethnic group. A high-ranki ...
in 1990, Djiraibe returned to
Chad and saw widespread starvation and poverty among the people. The event motivated her to become a human rights activist and found the
Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights.
Human rights work
Djiraibe's work particularly focuses on revenues from the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
-funded
Chad–Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project
The Chad–Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project is a controversial project to develop the production capacity of oilfields near Doba in southern Chad, and to create a pipeline to transport the oil to a floating storage and offlo ...
. Djiraibe argues that revenue from the pipeline should be used to support local development rather than the
Chadian military
french: Armée nationale tchadienne
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[ and that the pipeline project further impoverished the villages of its region: "Their lands have been taken for the oil project. They get compensation but without preparation. The cash that they have received has been expended like that and now they find themselves with nothing."] Djiraibe also has argued that oil revenues were a factor in the nation's 2005-2010 civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, calling them a "curse".[
According to the ]Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (formerly the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, or RFK Center) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit human rights advocacy organization. It was named after United States Senator Robert F. Kenned ...
, Djiraibe's activism caused the Chadian government to begin a public relations campaign against her.[ Djiraibe decisively lobbied the World Bank to provide restrictions on the Chadian government spending oil revenue. In 2008, during a widespread crackdown by Deby on his political opponents, a campaign began to guarantee Djiraibe safe passage out of Chad. She was ultimately allowed to travel to ]Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
.
Djiraibe was a critic of the Organisation of African Unity
The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...
, calling it "irrelevant" and "a private club for friends". She supported the 2005 trial of former president Habré, stating that the case showed "that Africa can also play a role in the fight for human rights and can fight on its own soil."
Recognition
In 2005, the Robert F. Kennedy Center awarded Djiraibe the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, praising "her tireless efforts in promoting the human rights of the Chadian people, often at great personal risk to herself and her family."
Four years later, the magazine '' Jeune Afrique'' named her one of Africa's 100 most important advocates for change, writing, "This attorney and tireless fighter for human rights has the obstinacy of those who call out in the desert. In 2009, will she be heard?"[ (''Cette avocate et inlassable militante des droits de l'homme a l'obstination de ceux qui prêchent dans le désert. En 2009, sera-t-elle entendue ?'')]
See also
* First women lawyers around the world
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djiraibe, Delphine
1960 births
Chadian human rights activists
Chadian women activists
Chadian lawyers
Chadian women lawyers
Living people
Marien Ngouabi University alumni
Women human rights activists
Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award laureates