Former Chadian Prime Minister and opposition leader Succes Masra was arrested early Friday over allegations of inciting hatred, following deadly clashes in the country’s southwestern Logone-Occidental region.
Masra, who held the prime ministerial post from January to May last year, was reportedly taken from his home during the early morning hours. His political party, the Transformers, claimed he was abducted.
A video that has been circulating online appears to show Masra being escorted by armed men in military attire, though the authenticity of the footage has yet to be independently verified.
Public Prosecutor Oumar Kedelaye confirmed Masra’s arrest and linked it to Wednesday’s violence in the region, which claimed the lives of 42 people, most of them women and children. He said an investigation by the judicial police had uncovered messages allegedly connected to Masra that encouraged civilians to arm themselves—though he did not provide specific details or direct evidence.
“The investigations carried out by the judicial police revealed the involvement” of Masra, Kedelaye told reporters.
“Messages were disseminated, particularly on social media, calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens,” the prosecutor said.
The violence reportedly erupted due to a land dispute between Fulani nomadic herders and Ngambaye farmers—a reflection of the deep-rooted ethnic and regional tensions that continue to affect parts of Chad. Communities in the south have long voiced grievances over political and economic marginalization by the central government.
Masra, a member of the Ngambaye ethnic group from the predominantly Christian south, ran against President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in last year’s presidential election. He garnered 18.5 percent of the vote, compared to Deby’s 61.3 percent, and rejected the results, declaring himself the rightful winner.
An economist by training, with education in France and Cameroon, Masra has been an outspoken critic of the Deby regime. Although he was appointed prime minister under a reconciliation initiative, he stepped down after five months. His party later boycotted the parliamentary elections, which helped to consolidate Deby’s power.
Masra previously fled Chad after a violent government crackdown on anti-government protests in October 2022, an event widely referred to as “Black Thursday.” According to international observers, the crackdown left as many as 300 people dead.
Though he later returned from exile under a reconciliation framework, Masra faced criticism from opposition circles for cooperating with the ruling junta.
