Succès Masra, the former prime minister and current president of the Les Transformateurs party, was arrested on charges of inciting hatred following outbreaks of intercommunal violence in southern Chad. In August 2025, he received a 20-year prison sentence.

For the dedicated members and leadership of Les Transformateurs, this Saturday, May 16, marks a somber anniversary. It was on this date one year ago that their influential leader, Succès Masra, was taken from his home in the early morning hours.

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

“President Succès Masra, though incarcerated, remains a vital presence among us. Indeed, the party is thriving and remains steadfastly focused on its objectives, refusing to be sidetracked. Doctor Succès Masra has committed no act warranting his imprisonment for a full year. No tangible evidence has been presented to substantiate the accusations against him. We are firmly convinced that this situation stems from an administrative and judicial misstep. The sole individual with the authority to rectify this error is Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno. We earnestly hope he will fulfill his responsibilities.”

Multiple opposition figures detained

Just last week, eight other leaders from opposition parties, all members of the Political Actors Concertation Group (GCAP), were handed down 8-year prison sentences. Their alleged crime was planning a peaceful demonstration, which led to convictions for “criminal association, insurrectional movements, rebellion, and possession of war weapons.” Sosthène Mbernodji, coordinator of the Citizen Movement for the Preservation of Liberties (MCPL), expressed deep regret over these arrests, asserting that a genuine political opposition no longer exists in Chad.

“Les Transformateurs, with their leader having been unjustly imprisoned for a year, have seen their operational capacity significantly curtailed. The Political Actors Concertation Group (GCAP) was the last remaining coalition offering an alternative perspective. Now, the authorities have weaponized the judiciary to dismantle this group and silence its eight leading members. I believe we are no longer operating within a democracy; instead, a monarchy is taking root for the long term, which is truly lamentable for Chad. It is imperative to de-escalate the social and political tension to enable progress. At this juncture, the country has regressed nearly 40 to 50 years, returning to a single-party system reminiscent of the post-independence era.”

In response to this wave of arrests and convictions, approximately twenty opposition parties collectively issued a press communiqué. They vehemently denounced what they described as the suppression of dissenting voices and the blatant instrumentalization of the judicial system.