Chad’s prosecutor announced on Friday that an investigation had been launched into former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra, accusing him of involvement in a deadly clash this week that left dozens dead.
Masra, who led the country for five months in early 2024, was arrested by the judicial police at his home on Friday. He faces charges including incitement to hatred and revolt, complicity in murder, and desecration of graves, according to prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye.
The charges stem from a violent confrontation on Wednesday in the southwest province of Logone Occidental, which resulted in 42 deaths, mostly women and children. The prosecutor claimed Masra’s alleged role in the incident incited violence between communities in the region, with calls to arm citizens circulating on social media.
A member of Masra’s Transformateurs party, Sitack Yombatina, rejected the charges, attributing the violence to the government’s failure to control inter-community conflicts.
Other Transformateurs members claimed Masra was abducted by security forces, with footage circulating online showing armed men escorting him from his home.
Masra has been an outspoken critic of the junta led by President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who took power after the death of his father, long-serving President Idriss Deby, in 2021. The investigation and legal proceedings against Masra are likely to further fuel concerns about diminishing political freedoms in Chad, where the government has frequently restricted demonstrations and media activities.
Masra had served as prime minister in early 2024 in an attempt to appease the opposition, shortly before the controversial presidential election that saw Mahamat Idriss Deby win with 61% of the vote. Masra had alleged electoral fraud before resigning from his post.