Latest news with #SuccèsMasra
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chad prosecutor seeks 25 years' jail for opposition leader
Chad's state prosecutors requested Friday a 25-year jail sentence for opposition leader Succès Masra, who is on trial accused of inciting a massacre. "Since a life sentence is ruled out, we demand 25 years in prison for Masra and his co-defendants," chief prosecutor Louapambe Mahouli Bruno told the court. A former prime minister of the country and one of the fiercest opponents of its President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, Masra is accused of inciting the killing of 42 people on 14 May. The massacre reportedly killed mostly women and children in Mandakao, southwestern Chad, according to the courts. Arrested on 16 May, Masra is charged with "inciting hatred, revolt, forming and complicity with armed gangs, complicity in murder, arson and desecration of graves". Alongside him, nearly 70 other men stand accused of taking part in the killings. Lawyers of Chadian jailed opposition leader call on Macron to intervene Masra, originally from Chad's south, 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 regime in the capital N'Djamena. Masra's lawyers said Tuesday that no concrete evidence against him had been presented to the court. Chad jails 262 in mass trial after deadly anti-government protests He went on hunger strike in jail for nearly a month in June, his lawyers said at the time. He had left Chad after a bloody crackdown on his followers in 2022 and returned under an amnesty agreed in 2024. (AFP)
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Chad seeks a 25-year prison term for opposition leader accused of inciting violence
N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chad 's prosecutor general Friday requested a 25-year prison sentence for Succès Masra, the country's former prime minister and opposition leader accused of inciting racial violence and other charges. Masra and dozens of co-defendants, mostly people from the same Ngambaye ethnic group, are on trial accused of causing a clash between herders and farmers in May in Logone Occidental in the southwest of the country. The fighting left 35 people dead and six others injured.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Chad seeks a 25-year prison term for opposition leader accused of inciting violence
N'DJAMENA, Chad — Chad 's prosecutor general Friday requested a 25-year prison sentence for Succès Masra, the country's former prime minister and opposition leader accused of inciting racial violence and other charges. Masra and dozens of co-defendants, mostly people from the same Ngambaye ethnic group, are on trial accused of causing a clash between herders and farmers in May in Logone Occidental in the southwest of the country. The fighting left 35 people dead and six others injured.
New York Times
16-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Opposition Leader Is Arrested in Chad, Accused of Inciting Violence
A major opposition leader and former prime minister of Chad was arrested early Friday, fueling fears of another crackdown on dissent in a country that has repeatedly used state power to silence critics. The politician, Succès Masra, was arrested on charges of incitement to hatred and revolt, complicity in murder and the desecration of graves, Chad's prosecutor, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye, said, in connection with an outbreak of violence between communities this week that killed dozens of women and children. Civil society and political activists have recently faced imprisonment, torture, intimidation and death at the hands of Chad's security forces. Supporters of Mr. Masra, Chad's best-known opposition figure and leader of the Transformers political party, saw his arrest as a part of that pattern, and in hundreds of social media posts, they clamored for the government to let him go. 'We demand his unconditional release,' wrote one of them, Robine Zita, on his Facebook page. 'Rise up, Transformers, for the immediate liberation of our president,' wrote another, Sabine Denehybe. Parts of Africa have become increasingly tough places to be an opposition politician. On Tuesday, Mali's military junta announced it was dissolving all political parties in the country, and last month, one of its most vocal detractors was arrested after criticizing the country's military rulers. Also last month, Ivory Coast's main opposition leader, Tidjane Thiam, was barred from running in the coastal country's upcoming presidential election over his French citizenship — despite having relinquished it in order to run. In Chad, a landlocked country in north-central Africa, Mr. Masra was taken from his residence by men in military uniforms at 5 a.m. local time, the secretary general of the Transformers said in a statement, calling the arrest an 'abduction' because no court summons was produced. Later, the party released another statement on its Facebook page, saying its leaders and Mr. Masra's lawyers had been able to see him, and calling on the party's supporters to stay calm and await instructions. The prosecutor, Mr. Kedelaye, linked Mr. Masra to a deadly attack this week on villagers in the southwest province of Logone Occidental, where there has been rising conflict between herders and farmers in recent years. At a news conference on Friday, Mr. Kedelaye said the opposition leader had broadcast messages on social networks 'calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens.' The prosecutor did not specify the inciting messages he accused Mr. Masra of sending, and a review of Mr. Masra's Facebook and X accounts did not find any. He did, however, express condolences for the bereaved families and said that the cause of the conflict in Logone Occidental was not clear. His post ended: 'The life of no Chadian should be trivialized.' Remadji Hoinathy, a senior researcher focused on Central Africa and the Lake Chad Basin at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies, said that he would withhold judgment until the prosecutor presented any evidence it has against Mr. Masra. 'We're waiting to see it,' he said. But, he said, it was a complex situation, and Chad's government has a pattern of using the judicial apparatus against opponents. 'These events can't be separated from the government's desire to pressure and silence opponents who, until now, have stood up to it,' he added. A previous opposition leader, Yaya Dillo, said in 2021 that security forces had killed several members of his family in a failed attempt to arrest him. Mr. Dillo was killed in a gun battle last year with security forces at his party headquarters in the capital, N'Djamena. Later that year, the country's longtime dictator, Idriss Déby, was killed on the battlefield as government forces and a rebel group clashed in the north. His son, Mahamat Déby, seized power at the head of a military junta. Mr. Dillo was expected to run for president last year against the younger Mr. Déby. Mr. Masra was a fierce critic of the Déby dynasty, but last year, the president named him prime minister five months before a presidential election. Many Chadians accused him of deep betrayal when he joined the regime, but Mr. Masra then ran against the president who had appointed him. Mahamat Déby was declared the winner of that contest, but civil society groups dismissed it as a sham, and Mr. Masra claimed to be the rightful winner.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Chad's Succès Masra: Former prime minister arrested over alleged links to deadly clashes
Chad's former prime minister and opposition leader, Succès Masra, has been arrested over alleged links to clashes which took place on Wednesday in the south west of the country, a public prosecutor has is suspected of spreading hateful messages on social media linked to the violence in which at least 42 people died, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye Transformers party said he had been "kidnapped" by military officers in the early hours of the morning" and denounced his detention, which it says was "carried out outside of any known judicial procedure".The government has not yet commented on Masra's arrest. Masra is a fierce critic of President Mahamat Déby and claimed to have defeated him in elections last said his victory had been stolen "from the people" although the official results said Déby had won with 61% of the vote. Wednesday's clashes broke out in the village of Mandakao, in Logone Occidental province near the Cameroonian border."Messages were circulated, notably on social networks, calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens," Mr Kedelaye said. It is not entirely clear what caused the violence, but one source told the AFP news agency that it is believed it was triggered by a land dispute between farmers from the Ngambaye community and Fulani herdsmen. There has been a troubling recent pattern of violence between local farmers and herders, with the farmers accusing the latter of grazing animals on their than 80 others have also been detained in connection with the briefly served as interim prime minister of the transitional government between January and May 2024. His party boycotted legislative polls last December due to concerns over the transparency of the electoral Déby family has ruled Chad for more than three military installed Déby as Chad's leader after his father, Idriss Déby Itno, was killed by rebels in 2021. Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor More BBC Africa articles about Chad: A quick guide to ChadWhy does France have military bases in Africa?Chad's military ruler wins presidential poll Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
