Thanks largely to having access to millions of dollars in US aid and assistance, Habré seized power on June 7, 1982, through a coup d’état. [1] Once in power, Habré put in place a brutal dictatorship that brooked no opposition. With US, French, and other international support, Habré’s forces also turned back Libya in a series of military campaigns during the first six years of his reign.During Habré’s rule from 1982 to 1990, his government was responsible for widespread political killings, systematic torture, thousands of arbitrary arrests, and the targeting of particular ethnic groups.