Chad’s former prime minister and opposition leader, Succes Masra, has called for dialogue and national reconciliation following his release from prison after President Mahamat Idriss Deby granted him a presidential pardon.
Deby on Friday pardoned Masra and eight other opposition figures who had been serving prison sentences over charges linked to political unrest.
Masra, one of Deby’s most vocal critics, was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre.
The other eight opposition figures were members of the Political Actors’ Consultation Group (GCAP), Chad’s main opposition coalition, which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in April. They were sentenced to eight years in prison in May after being found guilty of inciting an insurrection.
A presidential decree published on the presidency’s Facebook page said the pardon granted a “full remission of custodial sentences for the convicted.”
Ndolembai Sade Njesada, vice president of Masra’s The Transformers party, welcomed the decision and said it could pave the way for renewed dialogue.
“We thank the president of the republic for having braved the obstacles and chosen to move forward in the spirit of national unity that is now coming into being,” Njesada said.
“We hope at last to sit down around a table to move peace forward,” he added.
Masra, 42, an economist, had previously fled Chad after security forces opened fire on demonstrators protesting the extension of the country’s political transition under Deby’s military-led government in October 2022.
He later returned from exile and signed a reconciliation agreement with Deby, after which he was appointed prime minister five months before the 2024 presidential election.
Deby won the election with just over 60 percent of the vote in a contested poll that was boycotted by several opposition parties. Masra challenged Deby and finished second with nearly 20 percent of the vote, although he rejected the official result and claimed victory.
Masra was arrested in May 2025 and sentenced three months later to 20 years in prison. Human Rights Watch described the proceedings as politically motivated.
The latest presidential pardon could ease tensions between the government and opposition and reopen space for political dialogue in the Central African nation.
