By Isaac Okoro
N’DJAMENA, Chad – Succès Masra, the prominent leader of Chad’s main opposition party, The Transformers, and former prime minister, was today found guilty of inciting violence and complicity in murder, receiving a 20-year prison sentence. Human Rights Watch (HRW) swiftly condemned the verdict, asserting that the charges were politically motivated.
The criminal court in N’Djamena convicted Masra of spreading racist and xenophobic messages and of complicity in murder connected to intercommunity conflict. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 1 billion CFA francs (approximately US$1.8 million), alongside 74 co-defendants who also received 20-year sentences, though at least nine were released. Lawyers for Masra and the other defendants have announced their intention to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The sentence given to Succès Masra sends a chilling message to critics and demonstrates the Chadian government’s intolerance of criticism and political opposition parties,” said Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The courts should not be used for such political purposes.”
Masra, a vocal critic of President Mahamat Idriss Déby, was arrested on May 16, 2025, accused of inciting hatred and violence through social media posts. His arrest followed intercommunal clashes on May 14 in Mandakao, Logone Occidental province, which resulted in 42 deaths. While clashes between herders and farmers are common in southern Chad, intercommunal violence has intensified in recent years, claiming numerous lives. Masra pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The conviction of Masra comes amid a shrinking political space in Chad. He and his supporters faced threats leading up to the May 2024 presidential elections, where Masra ran against then-transitional president Déby. The pre-election period was marred by significant violence.
On February 28, 2024, government security forces killed Yaya Dillo, president of the Socialist Party Without Borders, during an attack on his party’s headquarters in N’Djamena. Over a year later, authorities have yet to clarify the circumstances surrounding his death.
Political violence has been on the rise since 2021. Security forces have repeatedly used excessive force, including live ammunition, to disperse opposition-led demonstrations, resulting in deaths and injuries. Activists and opposition members have been detained, and journalists covering the protests have been assaulted. The violence peaked on October 20, 2022, when security forces fired live ammunition at protesters, killing and injuring scores, and chasing people into their homes.
These protests marked the date on which the military administration, in power since the death of President Idriss Déby Itno on April 20, 2021, had initially promised to hand over power to a civilian government. Hundreds of men and boys arrested during these protests were taken to Koro Toro, a high-security prison 600 kilometers from N’Djamena, where many suffered further abuse and some died en route.
Masra himself fled Chad after the October 2022 violence. He returned in January 2024 following regional peace efforts facilitated by President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo, acting as an envoy for the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). The resulting Kinshasa Accord suspended an arrest warrant against Masra, guaranteed his safe return from exile, and provided legal protections for The Transformers party to conduct political activities freely. Upon his return, Masra accepted the position of prime minister but resigned in May 2024, alleging the presidential vote had been rigged.
Human Rights Watch is urging President Tshisekedi and ECCAS to call for the restoration of political rights and guarantees and full compliance with the Kinshasa Accord.
“Masra’s conviction has upended hopes for a meaningful political opposition and an independent judiciary in Chad,” Mudge stated. “Chad’s regional and international supporters should denounce this politically motivated judgment and urge the country’s leaders to make good on promises for democratic reform.”
