Briefly: 10 terrorists jailed for plotting attacks

Senegal set to host trial of Chad’s ex-dictator

DAKAR — Senegal’s justice minister says former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre will go on trial next month of charges of crimes against humanity.

The trial got the go-ahead after a vote in Senegal’s parliament last month. It is to take place in a special tribunal authorized under the African Union and will mark a major step toward Africa dealing with its own alleged war criminals.

Justice Minister Aminata Toure said Tuesday that the trial is expected early next month. Belgium has offered to help finance the cost of special African tribunals within Senegal’s court system.

Mr. Habre faces accusations of torture, crimes against humanity and war crimes during his rule from 1982 to 1990. He has enjoyed 22 years of impunity after fleeing to Senegal — leaving behind a country strewn with mass graves.

KENYA

Coffins set on fire to protest lawmakers

NAIROBI — Hundreds of demonstrators angered at outgoing Kenyan lawmakers doused 221 coffins with gasoline and set them on fire Wednesday, causing an inferno outside parliament’s main entrance.

Organizers of the protest said the coffins represented the end of an era of parliament’s 221 lawmakers and burning the coffins symbolized the start of a new era away from the dishonorable acts that parliament was known for in the past five years. The lawmakers’ terms ended earlier this week.

Kenyans say their lawmakers are seen as lazy, greedy and self-centered for often improving their welfare lavishly at the cost of taxpayers.

A Kenyan lawmaker earns about $175,000 a year in a country where the average annual wage income is $1,700.

ZIMBABWE

U.N. appeals for $131 million in aid for Zimbabwe

HARARE — The United Nations says it needs $131 million in humanitarian assistance to meet food, water and emergency needs in Zimbabwe.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator, Alain Noudehou, said Tuesday at least $110 million will be used to provide food for more than 1.6 million Zimbabweans facing starvation this year.

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