Chadian opposition leader succès masra marks one year in detention

As of this Saturday, May 16, a full year has passed since Succès Masra’s incarceration. This significant milestone prompts questions about the current state and future of Les Transformateurs, the political party he founded.

The former Prime Minister and leader of Les Transformateurs party, Succès Masra, received a twenty-year prison sentence in August 2025. His conviction stemmed from charges of inciting hatred following outbreaks of intercommunal violence in southern Chad.

For the officials and activists of Les Transformateurs, this Saturday, May 16, marks a somber anniversary. It was on this date, one year ago, that their prominent leader, Succès Masra, was apprehended from his home in the early hours of the morning.

Despite their leader’s year-long detention, the party maintains a reassuring stance, as conveyed by its Secretary-General, Doctor Tog-Yeum Nagorngar.

“Even though President Succès Masra is incarcerated, his presence is still felt among us,” affirmed Doctor Nagorngar. “The party remains robust and steadfastly focused on its objectives, refusing to be sidetracked. Doctor Succès Masra has committed no act warranting a year of imprisonment. No substantive evidence has been presented to support the allegations against him. We are convinced this is an administrative and judicial error. The only individual capable of rectifying this situation today is Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, and we trust he will fulfill his responsibilities.”

Numerous Opposition Figures Imprisoned

Just last week, eight additional leaders from opposition parties, all affiliated with the Political Actors’ Consultation Group (GCAP), received eight-year prison sentences. Their arrests followed the planning of a peaceful “indignation march,” leading to convictions for “criminal association, insurrectional movements, rebellion, and possession of war weapons.” Sosthène Mbernodji, coordinator of the Citizen Movement for the Preservation of Freedoms (MCPL), expressed deep regret over these detentions, stating his belief that genuine political opposition in Chad has now ceased to exist.

“Since their leader was imprisoned a year ago, Les Transformateurs have seen their operational capacity significantly diminished,” Mbernodji elaborated. “The Political Actors’ Consultation Group (GCAP) represented the last remaining coalition offering an alternative perspective. Now, the authorities have leveraged the judicial system to dismantle this assembly and silence its eight leading members. I believe we are no longer operating within a democracy; rather, a lasting monarchy is taking root, which is deeply unfortunate for Chad. It is imperative to ease the social and political tensions to enable progress. At this juncture, the nation has regressed almost 40 to 50 years, returning to a single-party system reminiscent of the independence era.”

In response to this wave of arrests and convictions, approximately twenty opposition parties collectively issued a press statement. They condemned what they described as the suppression of dissenting voices and the manipulation of the justice system.