Hundreds of supporters gathered in N’Djamena on Wednesday, demanding the release of jailed opposition leader and former prime minister Succes Masra.
The demonstration unfolded under heavy heat as activists from Les Transformateurs, Chad’s largest opposition party, marked its eighth anniversary at headquarters in the capital.
Mostly young protesters filled the streets, holding placards and chanting calls for justice, describing Masra as a symbol of resistance against the ruling authority.
“A man deprived of freedom for carrying the people’s hope,” said party secretary-general Ngagorngar Tog-Yeum, calling the detention politically motivated and unjust.
He also urged the release of other opposition figures from the GCAP movement recently arrested, insisting they “have no place in prison.”
Masra has remained in custody for nearly a year, following his conviction in August by a N’Djamena court on charges including hate speech and incitement.
Authorities linked the case to intercommunal violence that left 42 people dead in May, a tragedy that deepened political tensions nationwide.
Trained as an economist in France and Cameroon, Masra long stood as a vocal critic of the government before a brief political rapprochement.
He was appointed prime minister months before the 2024 presidential election, a move that reshaped but did not ease political rivalries.
In the 2024 vote, Masra secured 18.5 percent against President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno’s 61.3 percent, later rejecting the outcome.
