Chad Court Sentences Opposition Leader to 20 Years in Prison

A court in Chad has sentenced former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of hate speech, xenophobia, and inciting a massacre.

The verdict, delivered on Saturday, August 9, in N’Djamena, held Masra responsible for encouraging inter-communal violence that left 42 people dead on May 14.

Most of the victims were women and children in Mandakao, a village in southwestern Chad.

State prosecutors had initially sought a 25-year prison term.

Defence Slams Verdict
Masra’s lead defence lawyer, Francis Kadjilembaye, condemned the judgment, calling it “a humiliation” and claiming his client was convicted “on the basis of assumptions and without evidence.”

He accused authorities of using the courts as a political weapon.

Activists from Masra’s Transformers Party said they would release a “special message” in response to the sentencing.

Arrest and Charges
Masra was arrested on May 16 and charged with inciting hatred, revolt, complicity with armed gangs, complicity in murder, arson, and desecration of graves.

He was tried alongside nearly 70 others accused of involvement in the killings.

The violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute between Fulani nomadic herders and Ngambaye farmers over land demarcation for grazing and farming.

According to the International Crisis Group, similar conflicts have claimed over 1,000 lives and injured more than 2,000 people in Chad between 2021 and 2024.

Political Background
Originally from Chad’s south and a member of the Ngambaye ethnic group, Masra enjoys strong support among predominantly Christian and animist communities who say they are marginalised by the Muslim-led government in N’Djamena.

A trained economist, Masra studied in France and Cameroon and rose to prominence as a fierce government critic.

In 2024, after signing a reconciliation deal with President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, he was appointed prime minister just five months before facing Deby in the presidential election.

Masra came second with 18.5 percent of the vote, while Deby secured 61.3 percent. He rejected the official results and claimed victory.

Before his arrest, Masra had spent nearly a month on hunger strike in June, protesting what his lawyers called “politically motivated charges.”

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