Latest news with #Succes Masra
News24
4 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Chad: Little hope for democracy after Masra verdict
Chad's former PM Succes Masra was sentenced to 20 years, seen as political silencing by President Deby. Masra's conviction reflects political suppression, undermining democratic reforms and fueling potential unrest in Chad. Masra's party continues grassroots activism, unifying opposition against Deby's government amid appeals for Masra's release. The sentencing of Chad's former prime minister Succes Masra to 20 years in prison is widely seen as a deliberate move by President Mahamat Idriss Deby to quieten opposition voices. Masra, who briefly served in Deby's transitional government before returning to the opposition, was convicted of illegal possession of ammunition and incitement of violence linked to unrest in the southwestern Logone Occidental region in May this year, which resulted in the deaths of 42 people. Masra has denied the charges and has vowed to appeal the decision, telling his supporters: 'I'll be back soon.' Claudia Hoinathy, the vice president in charge of leadership and women's engagement within Masra's Les Transformateurs party, said to DW that the conviction was completely unjust, having witnessed the three days of the hearings for herself. In her view, it is merely an attempt for Deby to tighten his grip on power ahead of the next electoral cycle - even at the risk of triggering instability in an already precarious transition. The only way out, she believes, is a unified front. 'There are many opposition parties who have come to see us, to support us at our headquarters, who have sent out communiques,' Hoinathy said. 'And I think that's the ultimate solution we have left, to unite.' 20-year verdict on trumped up charges? Political analyst Nixon Katembo meanwhile echoed similar sentiments, saying that the trial was never really about the charges to begin with, but rather about silencing a political rival who had already proven that he could disrupt Chad's order. This is more of a political message rather than about charges or equivalent to the charges that were brought against him. Nixon Katembo Katembo argued that the heavy prison term was intended to make sure that 'the opposition is curtailed'. After spending years in exile in the Central African Republic, Masra was invited back to Chad to help form a transitional government and was appointed prime minister under Mahamat Idriss Deby. 'Immediately after Deby tried to form a government of national unity leading up to the elections, Masra was placed at the heart of power,' Katembo recalls, highlighting the young politician's popularity. But the honeymoon between the two politicians was short-lived, as within five months Masra broke ranks, contested the presidency and ultimately lost, which Katembo believes sealed his fate. The verdict against Masra comes less than three months after Deby secured his victory in an election which the opposition claims was neither free nor fair. Masra: A threat to Chad's dynastic rule Critics say the sentence strikes at the heart of the already fragile credibility of a transition process which began when Deby took power in 2021 after the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, in battle. Chadian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Analysts like Katembo argue that the conviction against Masra serves two main purposes: Removing a powerful opposition figure capable of galvanising nationwide protests while also sending a stark warning to anyone tempted to defy the country's ruling elite. Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director at Human Rights Watch, stressed in a statement that 'the sentence given to Succes Masra sends a chilling message to critics and demonstrates the Chadian government's intolerance of criticism and political opposition parties.' 'The courts should not be used for such political purposes,' Mudge added, highlighting that the conviction had 'upended hopes for a meaningful political opposition and an independent judiciary in Chad'. Various human rights groups have warned that the ruling could reignite pockets of unrest similar to the October 2022 protests, when security forces killed scores of demonstrators. '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,' Mudge underlined. With Chad remaining a key military partner in counterterrorism operations across the Sahel, it is unlikely that major regional players like the African Union will publicly comment on the goings-on, though it is likely that concern for Chad's future is not limited to local voices. Fighting to galvanise opposition For Masra's supporters, the verdict confirms fears that the transition in Chad is shifting from a carefully stage-managed facade of democracy to a dynastically entrenched reality of one-man rule. Hoinathy says the party had prepared for the scenario of Masra's detention by pre-emptively putting a new leadership structure in place. 'The president of the party has appointed our dean, Bedoumra Kordje, to lead a collegial leadership team. This means that together with the vice presidents already in place, the work of the president's chief of staff and of the secretary-general will carry on while we continue to fight for his release,' she told DW. 'Our offices are open every day, and every weekend, we organise large gatherings that call on activists to come and show their disagreement with what is happening,' she added, highlighting the party's ongoing efforts to translate Masra's detention into a grassroots momentum bringing together various opposition groupings. Whether the ruling succeeds in silencing dissent in the long-run or rather fuels a broader resistance will likely depend on how far Deby will continue to push restrictions in the political space, and also whether international partners choose stability over democratic accountability. Either way, even without his arrest and detention, Masra's options appear limited, as he now has a previous conviction which automatically bars him from running for office - something even a pardon cannot erase. 'It would not allow him to come back and interact or to act as president of the party,' Hoinathy explained. Instead, Les Transformateurs are considering giving Masra amnesty, while lawyers continue to appeal the decision. If they eventually succeed with their appeal, the previous conviction could be expunged.
Al Jazeera
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Chad opposition leader, ex-PM sentenced to 20 years for inciting violence
Chad's former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for disseminating racist and xenophobic messages that incited violence. Defence lawyer Kadjilembay Francis told reporters following Saturday's ruling at a court in the Chadian capital, N'Djamena, that Masra would appeal his sentence. 'He has just been subjected to ignominy and unworthy humiliation,' Francis said. Masra, who was prime minister between January and May last year, is the head of the Transformers party and a sharp critic of Mahamat Deby, Chad's current president. He was accused alongside 67 co-defendants, mostly from the same Ngambaye ethnic group, of causing a clash between herders and farmers in May in Logone Occidental, in the southwest of the central African country. The fighting left 35 people dead and six others injured. Masra has denied the charges against him, which include hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. Before leaving the courtroom on Saturday, he gave a message to his supporters: 'Stand firm.' Activists with his party said they would put out a 'special message' later in the day. The Ngambaye ethnic group enjoys wide popularity among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south, whose members feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated authorities in N'Djamena. Masra left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreed in 2024. He faced off against Deby in that year's presidential election, which Deby won with more than 61 percent support. But Masra did not accept the results, claiming that the vote was rigged. He later agreed to serve as premier after signing a reconciliation deal with Deby. Masra has strongly opposed the military rulers who came to power in Chad in April 2021, after the death of Deby's father, Idriss Deby Itno, who had led the country for 30 years. Deby took power in 2021 and legitimised his presidency with a parliamentary election earlier this year, which was opposed by Masra and his party.
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
A court in Chad jailed former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra for 20 years Saturday, convicting him of hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. The court in N'Djamena jailed Masra, one of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno's fiercest critics, for his role in inciting inter-communal violence in which 42 people were killed on May 14. Most of the massacre victims were women and children in Mandakao, southwestern Chad, according to the court. On Friday, the state prosecutor had called for a 25-year sentence. "Our client has just been the object of a humiliation," lead defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye told AFP. "He has just been convicted on the basis of an empty dossier, on the basis of assumptions and in the absence of evidence," he added. What we had witnessed, he said, was the weaponisation of the courts. Activists with his Transformers Party said they would put out a "special message" later Saturday. Masra was arrested on May 16, two days after the violence, and charged with "inciting hatred, revolt, forming and complicity with armed gangs, complicity in murder, arson and desecration of graves". He stood trial with nearly 70 other men accused of taking part in the killings. - Presidential candidate - Originally from Chad's south, Masra comes from the Ngambaye ethnic group and enjoys wide popularity among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south. Those groups feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated regime in the capital N'Djamena. During the trial, Masra's lawyers argued that no concrete evidence against him had been presented to the court. He went on hunger strike in jail for nearly a month in June, his lawyers said at the time. Like other opposition leaders, Masra had left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreed in 2024. Trained as an economist in France and Cameroon, Masra had been a fierce opponent of the ruling authorities before they named him prime minister five months ahead of the presidential election. He served as premier from January to May last year after signing a reconciliation deal with Deby. Masra faced off against Deby in the 2024 presidential elections, winning 18.5 percent against Deby's 61.3 percent, but claimed victory. Of the May 14 killings, one local source said they were thought to have sprung from a dispute between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the demarcation of grazing and farming areas. Conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary farmers are estimated by the International Crisis Group to have caused more than 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries in Chad between 2021 and 2024. yas-lnf/jj/gv Solve the daily Crossword
News.com.au
09-08-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
A court in Chad jailed former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra for 20 years Saturday, convicting him of hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. The court in N'Djamena jailed Masra, one of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno's fiercest critics, for his role in inciting inter-communal violence in which 42 people were killed on May 14. Most of the massacre victims were women and children in Mandakao, southwestern Chad, according to the court. On Friday, the state prosecutor had called for a 25-year sentence. "Our client has just been the object of a humiliation," lead defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye told AFP. "He has just been convicted on the basis of an empty dossier, on the basis of assumptions and in the absence of evidence," he added. What we had witnessed, he said, was the weaponisation of the courts. Activists with his Transformers Party said they would put out a "special message" later Saturday. Masra was arrested on May 16, two days after the violence, and charged with "inciting hatred, revolt, forming and complicity with armed gangs, complicity in murder, arson and desecration of graves". He stood trial with nearly 70 other men accused of taking part in the killings. - Presidential candidate - Originally from Chad's south, Masra comes from the Ngambaye ethnic group and enjoys wide popularity among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south. Those groups feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated regime in the capital N'Djamena. During the trial, Masra's lawyers argued that no concrete evidence against him had been presented to the court. He went on hunger strike in jail for nearly a month in June, his lawyers said at the time. Like other opposition leaders, Masra had left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreed in 2024. Trained as an economist in France and Cameroon, Masra had been a fierce opponent of the ruling authorities before they named him prime minister five months ahead of the presidential election. He served as premier from January to May last year after signing a reconciliation deal with Deby. Masra faced off against Deby in the 2024 presidential elections, winning 18.5 percent against Deby's 61.3 percent, but claimed victory. Of the May 14 killings, one local source said they were thought to have sprung from a dispute between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the demarcation of grazing and farming areas. Conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary farmers are estimated by the International Crisis Group to have caused more than 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries in Chad between 2021 and 2024. yas-lnf/jj/gv
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
A court in Chad jailed former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra for 20 years Saturday, convicting him of hate speech, xenophobia and having incited a massacre. The court in N'Djamena jailed Masra, one of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno's fiercest critics, for his role in inciting inter-communal violence in which 42 people were killed on May 14. Most of the massacre victims were women and children in Mandakao, southwestern Chad, according to the court. On Friday, the state prosecutor had called for a 25-year sentence. "Our client has just been the object of a humiliation," lead defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye told AFP. "He has just been convicted on the basis of an empty dossier, on the basis of assumptions and in the absence of evidence," he added. What we had witnessed, he said, was the weaponisation of the courts. Activists with his Transformers Party said they would put out a "special message" later Saturday. Masra was arrested on May 16, two days after the violence, and charged with "inciting hatred, revolt, forming and complicity with armed gangs, complicity in murder, arson and desecration of graves". He stood trial with nearly 70 other men accused of taking part in the killings. - Presidential candidate - Originally from Chad's south, Masra comes from the Ngambaye ethnic group and enjoys wide popularity among the predominantly Christian and animist populations of the south. Those groups feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated regime in the capital N'Djamena. During the trial, Masra's lawyers argued that no concrete evidence against him had been presented to the court. He went on hunger strike in jail for nearly a month in June, his lawyers said at the time. Like other opposition leaders, Masra had left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022, only returning under an amnesty agreed in 2024. Trained as an economist in France and Cameroon, Masra had been a fierce opponent of the ruling authorities before they named him prime minister five months ahead of the presidential election. He served as premier from January to May last year after signing a reconciliation deal with Deby. Masra faced off against Deby in the 2024 presidential elections, winning 18.5 percent against Deby's 61.3 percent, but claimed victory. Of the May 14 killings, one local source said they were thought to have sprung from a dispute between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the demarcation of grazing and farming areas. Conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary farmers are estimated by the International Crisis Group to have caused more than 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries in Chad between 2021 and 2024. yas-lnf/jj/gv
