Overview

• Succes Masra, Chad's former prime minister and a leading opposition figure, was forcibly taken from his home early on May 16, 2025, by security forces.
• Public prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye accused Masra of inciting hatred and violence through social media posts that allegedly called for arming against a community in Logone Occidental.
• The clashes in Logone Occidental on May 14, 2025, resulted in 42 deaths, primarily women and children, reportedly stemming from disputes between herders and farmers over land use.
• Masra’s party, Les Transformateurs, condemned the arrest as a 'kidnapping' and a violation of constitutional rights, raising concerns about political repression and shrinking democratic space in Chad.
• Masra, a prominent critic of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, has faced prior persecution, including exile and suppression of his party, after contesting the 2024 presidential election results alleging fraud.