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Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
Article content N'Djamena (AFP) — 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. Article content 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. Article content Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 'Our client has just been the object of a humiliation,' lead defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye told AFP. Article content '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. Article content What we had witnessed, he said, was the weaponisation of the courts. Article content Activists with his Transformers Party said they would put out a 'special message' later Saturday. Article content 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'. Article content He stood trial with nearly 70 other men accused of taking part in the killings. Article content Article content – Presidential candidate – Article content 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. Article content Those groups feel marginalised by the largely Muslim-dominated regime in the capital N'Djamena. Article content During the trial, Masra's lawyers argued that no concrete evidence against him had been presented to the court. Article content He went on hunger strike in jail for nearly a month in June, his lawyers said at the time. Article content 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. Article content 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.
Kuwait Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
N'DJAMENA, Chad: 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. It also imposed a fine of one billion CFA francs (1.5 million euros). 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. He called it a weaponization of the courts. Activists with Masra's Transformers Party gathered later Saturday to protest the conviction and condemn Deby. They said former finance Bedoumra Kordje had been appointed interim party leader. 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. 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. – AFP
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Chad court jails ex-PM, opposition leader for 20 years
N'DJAMENA - 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. It also imposed a fine of one billion CFA francs (1.5 million euros). 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. He called it a weaponisation of the courts. Activists with Masra's Transformers Party gathered later Saturday to protest the conviction and condemn Deby. They said former finance Bedoumra Kordje had been appointed interim party leader. Masra was arrested on 16 May, 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.
The Sun
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Chad court sentences ex-PM Masra to 20 years for inciting violence
N'DJAMENA: A Chadian court has sentenced former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra to 20 years in prison. The conviction relates to charges of hate speech, xenophobia, and inciting inter-communal violence that left 42 dead. The court imposed an additional fine of one billion CFA francs (1.5 million euros) on Masra, a vocal critic of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. Most victims of the May 14 massacre were women and children in Mandakao, southwestern Chad. State prosecutors had sought a 25-year sentence prior to the verdict. Defence lawyer Francis Kadjilembaye condemned the ruling as unjust. 'Our client has just been the object of a humiliation,' Kadjilembaye told AFP. He argued the conviction lacked evidence, calling it a politically motivated weaponisation of the judiciary. Supporters of Masra's Transformers Party protested the verdict on Saturday. The party named former finance minister Bedoumra Kordje as interim leader following Masra's sentencing. Masra was arrested on May 16, two days after the violence erupted. Charges against him included inciting hatred, revolt, and complicity in murder. Nearly 70 others stood trial alongside him for their alleged roles in the killings. Masra, an economist trained in France and Cameroon, previously fled Chad after a 2022 crackdown on opposition figures. He returned under a 2024 amnesty before briefly serving as prime minister. His presidential bid last year saw him secure 18.5 percent of votes against Deby's 61.3 percent, though Masra claimed victory. Ethnic tensions between Fulani herders and Ngambaye farmers reportedly triggered the May violence. The International Crisis Group estimates such conflicts have caused over 1,000 deaths in Chad since 2021. - AFP
Int'l Business Times
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
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. 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.
