This Saturday, May 16, marks a somber anniversary: one full year since the prominent Chadian opposition figure, Succès Masra, was first incarcerated. As his party, Les Transformateurs, reflects on this milestone, questions arise about the future and resilience of the political movement he founded.
The former Prime Minister and head of Les Transformateurs party received a 20-year prison sentence in August 2025. His conviction stemmed from charges of inciting hatred, following a period of intercommunal violence that gripped the southern regions of Chad.
For the executives and activists within Les Transformateurs, this Saturday, May 16, is a poignant day, commemorating the morning their leader, Succès Masra, was apprehended from his home. Despite the year-long detention of their prominent figure, the party leadership conveys a message of steadfastness and resolve, as articulated by its Secretary-General, Doctor Tog-Yeum Nagorngar.
“Even while imprisoned, President Succès Masra’s presence is felt among us. The party remains robust, maintaining its focus on core objectives without succumbing to distractions. Doctor Succès Masra has committed no act warranting his year-long imprisonment. No evidence has been presented to substantiate the accusations against him. We firmly believe this to be an administrative and judicial error. Today, Marshal Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno holds the sole authority to rectify this injustice, and we trust he will fulfill his responsibilities.”
Widespread detention of opposition figures
Just last week, eight additional leaders from opposition parties, all members of the Groupe de Concertation des Acteurs Politiques (GCAP), were handed 8-year prison sentences. Their convictions, for “criminal association, insurrectional movements, rebellion, and possession of war weapons,” followed their plans for a peaceful demonstration. Sosthène Mbernodji, coordinator of the Mouvement Citoyen pour la Préservation des Libertés (MCPL), expressed deep regret over these arrests, asserting that a viable political opposition no longer exists in Chad.
“With their leader imprisoned for a year now, Les Transformateurs’ operational capacity has been severely curtailed. Furthermore, the Groupe de Concertation des Acteurs Politiques (GCAP) stood as the last remaining coalition offering an alternative perspective. Yet, the authorities have leveraged the judicial system to dismantle this group and silence its eight leading members. I contend that Chad has moved beyond a democracy, transitioning into a protracted monarchy, which is deeply regrettable for the nation. It is imperative to ease the social and political tensions to enable progress. At this juncture, the country has regressed by an estimated 40 to 50 years, effectively 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 release. They vehemently condemned what they described as the suppression of dissenting voices and the blatant instrumentalization of the justice system in Chad.
