Rose Lokissim

Rose Lokissim (born c. 1955 – May 15, 1986) was one of the first female elite soldiers from Chad. She fought against Hissène Habré's dictatorship in the 1980s.[1]

Rose Lokissim
Borncirca 1955
Chad
DiedMay 15, 1986
Chad
Cause of deathExecution
Resting placeMass grave at the Plain of the Dead[1]
OccupationSoldier

She was arrested by the secret police force known as the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS) while smuggling documents to give to rebel forces who opposed Habre. She was brought to La Piscine and later transferred the notorious prison known as Les Locaux. In 1984 she was taken to cell "C". This windowless and putrid room was called the "cell of death" because each day prisoners died there. She was initially put in a men's cell with 60 other men. Then they put her with women for a short time, but then worried about her escaping, returned her to the men's cell. She remained there for eight months. When she returned to the women's cell, she reportedly was extremely dirty, smelled, was covered with lice, and had matted hair.[2] During her time at Les Locaux, she helped smuggle letters of other prisoners out to their families. She was tortured and ultimately executed.

Documents recovered from abandoned DDS offices provided information about her last interrogation held on May 15, 1986. Her captors said that Lokissim stated that "even if she dies in prison, she doesn't regret it, because Chad will thank her and history will talk about her". She was executed that day. She was 33 years old at the time.

Lokissim is the subject of the 2015 documentary film titled Talking about Rose, directed by Isabel Coixet.

Early life

Rose Lokissim grew up in a polygamous household in a small village in Chad.[3] Rose was described as a passion, peaceful person. She didn't let her age or gender get in the way of her taking charge when needed in any given situation. One of her family member recounted a time in 1967 where Rose's father would only listen to her during a terrible fight with one of his wives.[4]

Fighting Against Hissène Habré

Rose Lokissim became one of Chad's first elite soldiers in the late 1970s.[3] The country Chad experience tough times due to the rising of their fifth president, Hissène Habré.[4] Many were against Hissène Habré due to his dictatorship. In 1984 Rose joined the fight to bring justice to Chad.[4] Rose and others were arrested on September 14, 1984 by the DDS.[4] Rose was first taken to La Piscine.This prison was a swimming pool initially.[3] A fearful man told the DDS that Rose was planning to escape so she was transported to another location. She spent the remainder of her life at Les Locaux. Rose spent time in both the women and men cell. They described her as brave and courageous. One survivor that served time with Lokissim stated that Rose helped her deliver her baby.[4] She encouraged the men to stay strong so they can continue fighting once they got out of there. Risking her life, Rose documented all the terrible things that were happening to the prisoners and sending it to their families.[4] On May 15, 1986, Habré later gained knowledge of Rose's actions and declared her to be executed.[3] She fought for her life until she died by a rope being wrapped around her neck. Her last words were "‘If I die, it will be for my country and family. History will talk about me and I will be thanked for my services to the Chadian nation.’"[3] They buried her in a mass grave at Plain of the Dead.[4]

References
  1. Reed Brody & Olivier Bercault (May 21, 2015). "Talking about Rose". aljazeera.com.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. ""Africa's Pinochet": Former U.S.-Backed Chadian Dictator Hissène Habré Faces War Crimes Trial". DemocracyNow!. July 21, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  3. "The chilling execution of a Chadian soldier who documented an exposé on dictator Hissène Habré | Face2Face Africa". Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  4. TALKING ABOUT ROSE, PRISONER OF HISSÈNE HABRÉ. English subtitles, retrieved 2020-04-29
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