1 . The “ Piscine ” was a colonial-era swimming pool , which Habré converted into a secret underground prison . Photo by Reed Brody
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it was part of an army base adjoining the presidential compound of Idriss Déby , who had overthrown Habré . But Hachim used his connections to Déby , a Zaghawa like him , to get me in , along with my colleague Olivier Bercault , Pierre Hazan , a Swiss journalist making a documentary , and Pierre ’ s cameraman . Officials from Déby ’ s office accompanied us on the visit . When we climbed back out of the Piscine into the daylight , I took the opportunity to ask them if we could also take a look at the abandoned headquarters of the DDS , whose distinctive circular fronting we could see just on the other side of a wall . Providentially , they agreed .
We walked through the dusty rooms of the DDS headquarters until we came to one strewn with documents shin-deep on the floor . Nobody had been here for a long time , and as I bent down , I had to wipe away
Deep VIEW
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