Delphine Djiraibe (born 1 December 1960) is a

Chad Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Repub ...

ian attorney and co-founder of the

Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights The Association Tchadienne pour la Promotion et la Défense des Droits de l'Homme or Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (abbreviated as ATDPH or ATPDH) is a human rights organization operating in Chad. According to gro ...

.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,

. She completed a bachelor's degree in Moundou 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 197 ...

in 1989.

Background

In the final years of the dictatorship of Hissène Habré, Djiraibe was studying law in Congo Brazzaville. After Habré was overthrown in a rebellion by Idriss Déby in 1990, Djiraibe returned to

and saw widespread starvation and poverty among the people. The event motivated her to become a human rights activist and found the

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. Djiraibe argues that revenue from the pipeline should be used to support local development rather than the Chadian military, 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 polic ...

, calling them a "curse". According to the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, Djiraibe's activism caused the

Chadian government The Government of Chad has been ruled by Mahamat Déby since 20th April 2021. The Republic of Chad maintains an embassy in the United States at 2401 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington D.C. Cabinet See also * Minister of Foreign Affairs (C ...

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

. She was ultimately allowed to travel to

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. Djiraibe was a critic of the Organisation of African Unity, 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

ian people, often at great personal risk to herself and her family." Four years later, the magazine ''

Jeune Afrique ''Jeune Afrique'' (English: ''Young Africa'') is a French-language pan-African weekly news magazine, founded in 1960 in Tunis and subsequently published in Paris. It is the most widely read pan-African magazine. It is also a book publisher, un ...

'' 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 ?'')

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