Succès Masra, former Prime Minister of Chad’s transitional government and leader of the opposition Transformers party, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined one billion CFA francs.
The verdict was handed down on Saturday, August 9, 2025, amid a highly charged political atmosphere in the country.
The Chadian criminal court convicted Masra following a trial that began earlier this month, during which he faced serious allegations including spreading xenophobic and racist messages, criminal conspiracy, incitement to revolt, complicity in assassinations, and involvement in deadly violence that left 76 people dead in Mandakao, southern Chad.
On August 8, prosecutors sought harsher penalties, calling for a 25-year sentence against Masra and 58 co-defendants, along with a combined fine of five billion CFA francs payable to the state and freezing of assets. Nine other defendants faced possible acquittal due to insufficient evidence.
Masra, an economist with a doctorate from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and former principal economist at the African Development Bank, returned from political exile in 2024 following the Kinshasa Accords.
He was appointed transitional Prime Minister but resigned shortly before the May 2024 presidential election, which was won by Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno.
Following his resignation, Masra emerged as a vocal critic of the military-led government, condemning what he described as “biased electoralism” and calling for a boycott of the December 2024 legislative elections, which he branded a mere endorsement of an “apartheid-type regime.”
His party hailed the boycott as a “resounding failure” for the regime and demanded a new democratic transition.
Despite tensions, Masra showed willingness to engage in dialogue early in 2025, responding to a “brotherly hand” extended by President Déby. However, political strains intensified during the Transformers’ seventh anniversary in May 2025, when Masra again urged government reform, drawing criticism from political opponents.
Masra was arrested forcibly on May 16, 2025. Prosecutors accused him of inciting hatred and armed resistance based on an audio recording from May 2023, and implicated him in the Mandakao violence.
Throughout the trial, Masra denied all charges, calling the proceedings a “political plot” and condemning the government for failing to honor the October 2023 agreements.
Chad’s current political landscape remains fragile.
Emerging from a four-year military transition, marked by a new constitution in December 2024 and a return to civilian rule under a former military leader, the country continues to face internal unrest, border security threats, and persistent socio-economic challenges.
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