Chad’s opposition leader Succès Masra, once a reformist prime minister, has been sentenced to 20 years for inciting violence—a verdict critics call politically motivated. The fiery economist rose to prominence for challenging the Déby dynasty but has been jailed in connection with a 2023 farmer-herder clash that killed 42 people. Prosecutors cited an old audio clip of Masra allegedly urging people in southern Chad to kill Fulani herders as grounds for his prosecution. According to Masra’s lawyers, the audio only involved Masra urging self-defense against Fulani herdsmen attacks. Just over a year earlier, Masra had returned from exile under a reconciliation deal to serve as PM, but tensions with the military-backed government soon exploded. Many view his trial as a weaponization of the judiciary to sideline a major rival, deepening rifts in Chad’s already fragile political landscape.
The Conversation
