Chad’s Ex-PM Jailed for 20 Years; Opposition Calls Verdict Politically Motivated

N’DJAMENA: Chad’s former Prime Minister and prominent opposition figure, Succes Masra, has been handed a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of disseminating “racist and xenophobic messages” that prosecutors say incited violence, his lawyer confirmed to WNN on Saturday.

Masra, once a key critic of President Mahamat Idriss Déby, briefly served as prime minister in Déby’s transitional government from January to May 2024, a move seen at the time as an effort at political reconciliation following the violent unrest that swept Chad in October 2022, when security forces killed dozens during protests against military rule.

The latest conviction stems from a May 2025 incident in the southern town of Mandakao, where clashes left dozens dead. Prosecutors accused Masra of playing a role in inflaming tensions through his public statements. “The court’s decision is a clear application of the law against hate speech that incites violence,” a prosecution spokesperson said, adding that the case demonstrates the government’s commitment to “protecting national unity and security.”

Masra’s defense, however, has rejected the charges outright. “This verdict is politically motivated and aimed at silencing one of the most important opposition voices in Chad,” said his lawyer Kadjilembaye Francis. He confirmed that in addition to the prison term, Masra has been ordered to pay a fine of 1 billion CFA francs ($1.8 million), and that the legal team plans to appeal.

Masra’s political trajectory has been turbulent. After founding the opposition party Les Transformateurs in 2018, he became one of the most vocal opponents of the Déby dynasty, which has ruled Chad for over three decades. Following the 2021 battlefield death of Idriss Déby Itno, Mahamat Idriss Déby assumed power in a military takeover — a move condemned by opposition leaders and rights groups.

This case is the latest in a series of high-profile prosecutions against opposition figures in Chad, echoing similar crackdowns in 2022 and 2023, when dozens of political activists were detained under sweeping security laws. Human rights organizations have expressed concern that Masra’s sentencing could deepen the country’s political crisis. “Chad’s democratic space is shrinking dangerously, and this verdict sends a chilling message to dissenting voices,” one rights group said in a statement.

— WNN Desk, Africa

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