Chad’s President Mahamat Déby has pardoned his political rival and former Prime Minister, Succès Masra, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence, paving the way for his release.
Masra, a fierce critic of Déby, claimed he had defeated the president in the 2024 election.
The opposition leader was arrested in May over alleged links to a deadly clash in the south-western part of the country. He was accused of spreading hateful messages on social media linked to the violence, which authorities said left at least 42 people dead.
Déby’s decision to pardon Masra came four days after the president pledged to release several convicted individuals as part of efforts to promote national unity, peace and reconciliation.
However, the presidential pardon does not amount to an amnesty. The presidency stressed that the nine people pardoned, including Masra, could still face prosecution.
According to a statement from the presidency, the eight other political figures pardoned were members of the Group for the Coordination of Political Actors (GCAP), a prominent coalition in Chad. They had each been serving eight-year prison sentences after being arrested in April for organising a banned protest.
The presidency described the nine beneficiaries of the pardons as people who were “in a position of power but not in line with justice”.
A separate decree also provides for several detainees across the country to benefit from partial reductions in their prison sentences.
Following the announcement, Masra’s Transformers Party welcomed the decision in a Facebook post, describing it as the opening of a “new page” and calling for it to be written together.
The party had previously condemned Masra’s arrest, describing it as a kidnapping by military officers “carried out outside of any known judicial procedure”.
The opposition RNDT-Le Réveil party also welcomed the pardons, describing them as “an encouraging signal” that could pave the way for greater political openness in the country.
The party urged Déby to pursue sustained efforts towards sincere and inclusive dialogue in the interest of the nation.
It remains unclear what the pardon will mean for Masra’s political ambitions.
Masra briefly served as interim prime minister of Chad’s transitional government between January and May 2024.
His party later boycotted legislative elections held in December, citing concerns about the transparency of the electoral process.
The Déby family has ruled Chad for more than three decades.
The military installed Mahamat Déby as the country’s leader after his father, Idriss Déby Itno, was killed by rebels in 2021.
