Chad’s Supreme Court has definitively rejected the appeal lodged by the legal counsel for former Prime Minister Succès Masra. This judicial outcome firmly establishes his 20-year prison sentence in connection with the deadly Mandakao violence.
The former Chadian Prime Minister and leader of Les Transformateurs party, Succès Masra, has had his 20-year hard labor sentence irrevocably upheld. On Thursday, May 21, the Supreme Court in N’Djamena denied the cassation appeal presented by his defense team, thereby exhausting all internal legal remedies within Chad.
The former head of government received his conviction last August from the Criminal Court on charges including “dissemination of messages of a racist and xenophobic nature,” “criminal association,” and “complicity in murder.” Chadian authorities specifically cited a message disseminated by Masra in 2023, which they contend played a role in instigating the bloody inter-communal clashes that erupted in Mandakao in May 2025.
During the court session, a substantial security detail, comprising police and military personnel, was strategically positioned around the Supreme Court headquarters. This deployment restricted access to the premises, despite the public nature of the proceedings.
With this latest ruling, Succès Masra has exhausted all national legal avenues. His remaining options for recourse may now extend to sub-regional or international judicial bodies. Supporters of the opposition figure have consistently decried the proceedings as a politically motivated trial. Claudia Hoinathy, a prominent member of Les Transformateurs party, expressed hope, stating, “We therefore hope that a political solution will be found.” This development is crucial for understanding current affairs in the Sahel region.
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