habre

Habre, also spelled Habré, is a surname that appears in Chad and among Francophone communities in West Africa. In French transcription, the final e is often written with an accent (Habré), but the name is commonly rendered without the diacritic in other contexts. The surname is most strongly associated with Chad, though it may be found among diaspora communities as well.

Etymology and distribution: There is no single widely cited etymology for the name in general reference works. As with many surnames in the region, Habre is treated as a family or lineage name rather than a word with a fixed meaning in the public lexicon. Its occurrence reflects the broader linguistic and cultural mosaic of Chad and neighboring areas, where Arabic, local African languages, and French influence intersect.

Notable figures: The most prominent bearer of the name is Hissène Habré, a Chadian politician who led Chad from 1982 to 1990. His regime is associated with serious human rights abuses. He was later tried and convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal in 2016, a ruling that drew international attention to accountability for state violence in the region.