By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A prominent Chadian opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Succès Masra, has been arrested over alleged links to a violent clash in the country’s south-west region on Wednesday, according to Public Prosecutor Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye.
Masra is accused of spreading hateful messages on social media in connection with the unrest, which left at least 42 people dead, Kedelaye said.
“Messages were circulated, notably on social networks, calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens,” the prosecutor stated.
Masra’s party condemned what it described as his “kidnapping” by military officers in the early hours of the morning, denouncing his detention as being “carried out outside of any known judicial procedure”.
A vocal critic of President Mahamat Déby, Masra has repeatedly claimed he won the presidential election last year. Despite official results declaring Déby the winner with 61% of the vote, Masra insists the victory was stolen “from the people”.
Wednesday’s clash occurred in the village of Mandakao, in the Logone Occidental province near the Cameroonian border.
While the exact trigger of the violence remains unclear, AFP quoted a source as saying it was believed to stem from a land dispute between farmers from the Ngambaye community and Fulani herdsmen.
Farmers in the region have recently accused herders of allowing livestock to graze on their farmland, sparking a surge in violent confrontations.
According to a BBC report, over 80 others have also been detained in connection with the violence.
Masra briefly served as interim Prime Minister in the transitional government from January to May 2024.
His party, The Transformers, boycotted last December’s legislative elections over concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
In 2021, the military installed Mahamat Déby as Chad’s leader after his father, Idriss Déby Itno, was killed by rebels. The Déby family has ruled the country for over three decades.
