Former Prime Minister of Chad, Succes Masra on August 9 was sentenced to 20 years in prison on accusations of murder, xenophobic comments and incitement of violence. The 41 year old and Chad’s main opposition leader to the president was arrested at his residence in Gassi on May 16, remaining detained till his court sentence.
In 2023 when there was an intercommunity-conflict incident arising from clashes between herders and farmers in the Mandakao village, 42 people lost their lives. Masra is accused of fuelling this conflict through his hate speech on social media. A source closely tied to the current government also disclosed that Masra had been found to be plotting against the state through phone conversations and interactions with some French powers. Masra, a native Ngambaye has been publicly accused of forming armed groups and encouraging violence through cited social media messages that urged Southern Chadians to weaponize themselves against herder groups. Other evidence claims he urged Chadians to directly attack Fulani groups in the South.
Despite the final sentence, Masra pleaded not guilty, and was also tried with some 70 others, all accused of colluding with the opposition leader to commit murder. The 20 year sentence comes along with a fine of 1 billion CFA francs.
However, not all Chadians sit with the news or process of proceedings as they suspect military influence on the judiciary system. Masra’s lawyers have also defended that frequent intercommunal conflict calls for constant need for self- defence, which is completely justified and which they also claim the audio originally proves. Loyal supporters of Succes Masra and party members see the detention and court proceedings as heavily guided by the administration of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, to ensure that Masra is neutralised and side-lined.
Human Rights Watch has described the trial and its results as politically motivated and a demonstration of Chad’s justice system’s ‘intolerance to criticism or political opposition parties’.
Succes Masra’s popularity amongst Chadians rose significantly in 2021, following the death of President Deby whose family has ruled over Chad military style since 1990. Aside being the flagbearer and leader of the party Les Transformateurs(The Transformers), Masra became Prime Minister to Mahamat Idriss Deby, military officer and son of the late President who assumed his father’s office right after his death. This was a move made out of a reconciliation deal after Masra’s return from exile in the US in 2022. Despite being Prime Minister to Mahamat Idriss Deby, a position that opposition primarily found suspicious, Masra openly criticised the administration through public announcements and on social media.
At the beginning of 2024, Yaya Dillo, president of Parti Socialiste Sans Frontieres (Socialist Party Without Borders) was killed by government security forces evidence of a thinning political space in Chad for opposition. The government is yet to clarify the circumstances that led to his death. In 2022, a protest with many Les Transformateurs supporters ended in violence when security forces clashed with citizens, leaving several protesters and about 15 security officers dead. When Mahamat Idriss Deby came to power, he had agreed to have a three year transitional government and unrest rose when this promise was broken.
Supporters of Succes Masra and his defence lawyers have also called for the support of citizens and other humanitarian groups. Human Rights Watch have also cited the Kinshasa Accord as expected to protect Masra and say that there has been a breach of trust if a political opponent is allowed to be imprisoned even after signing a reconciliation deal. President of the Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi who was facilitator for Le Communauté Économique des États de l’Afrique Centrale- CEEAC(Economic Community of Central African States) on Chad’s political transition process and was directly involved in the Kinshasa Accord has been seemingly quiet after the sentence.
Sources: Human Rights Watch
Al- Jazeera
The Conversation
