Chad Jails Ex-PM and Opposition Leader Succes Masra for 20 Years

A court in Chad sentenced former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra to 20 years’ imprisonment on Saturday, convicting him of hate speech, xenophobia, and incitement to massacre.

Details of the Conviction

The court in N’Djamena handed down the verdict against Masra, one of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno’s most vocal critics, for his alleged role in inciting inter-communal violence that resulted in 42 deaths on 14 May. In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of one billion CFA francs (approximately 1.5 million euros).

According to the court, most of the massacre victims were women and children residing in Mandakao, located in the south-west of Chad. The state prosecutor had requested a harsher sentence of 25 years during Friday’s hearing.

Defence Reaction and Political Fallout

Lead defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye described the conviction as a “humiliation,” stating to AFP: “He has just been convicted on the basis of an empty dossier, on the basis of assumptions and in the absence of evidence.”

Kadjilembaye characterised the trial as a “weaponisation of the courts.”

Supporters of Masra’s Transformers Party gathered on Saturday to protest the verdict and condemn President Deby’s government. They also announced that former finance minister Bedoumra Kordje had been appointed as the interim party leader.

Arrest and Charges

Masra was arrested on 16 May, two days after the outbreak of violence, and faced multiple charges, including:

• Inciting hatred and revolt
• Forming and complicity with armed gangs
• Complicity in murder, arson, and desecration of graves

He was tried alongside nearly 70 other men accused of participating in the killings.

Background on Succes Masra

Originally from southern Chad, Masra belongs to the Ngambaye ethnic group and enjoys widespread support among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south. These communities often feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated regime based in the capital, N’Djamena.

During the trial, Masra’s lawyers maintained that no concrete evidence had been presented to substantiate the charges.

Masra reportedly undertook a hunger strike in prison for nearly a month in June, according to his legal team.

Like many opposition figures, Masra fled Chad after a violent crackdown on his supporters in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreement in 2024.

Political Career and Elections

Masra is an economist by training, having studied in France and Cameroon. Prior to his arrest, he was a prominent critic of the ruling authorities. However, five months ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the government appointed him prime minister as part of a reconciliation deal with President Deby.

He served as prime minister from January to May last year.

In the 2024 presidential election, Masra faced off against Deby, officially securing 18.5 percent of the vote against Deby’s 61.3 percent, though Masra disputed the results and claimed victory.

Context of the May 14 Killings

A local source indicated that the violence on 14 May likely stemmed from a conflict between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the boundaries of grazing and farming land.

According to the International Crisis Group, clashes between pastoralists and sedentary farmers have caused over 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries in Chad between 2021 and 2024.