N'DJAMENA, May 1 (AGCNewsNet) – Hundreds of supporters of Chad’s main opposition party gathered in the capital N'Djamena on Wednesday to demand the release of opposition leader and former prime minister Succes Masra, who has been in detention for nearly a year.

The demonstration, organised by the Les Transformateurs (Transformers) party during its eighth anniversary celebration, drew mostly young activists carrying placards and chanting slogans calling for Masra’s freedom.

Masra remains one of the most prominent critics of President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

Speaking at the gathering, the party’s secretary-general, Ngagorngar Tog-Yeum, described Masra as a political prisoner.

“An innocent man is today deprived of his freedom and basic rights for having carried the voice and embodied the hope of the entire people,” he said.

Tog-Yeum also demanded the release of several opposition members linked to the GCAP movement who were arrested in recent days, insisting they “have no business being in prison.”

Masra was sentenced in August last year to 20 years imprisonment by a court in N'Djamena after being convicted of hate speech, xenophobia, and incitement related to deadly intercommunal violence that claimed 42 lives in May.

Before entering government, Masra had built his reputation as one of Chad’s most vocal opposition figures.

An economist trained in France and Cameroon, he was unexpectedly appointed prime minister just months before the 2024 presidential election.

He later contested the election against President Deby, officially securing 18.5 percent of the vote against Deby’s 61.3 percent, though he rejected the results and declared himself the rightful winner.

The latest protest reflects continuing political tensions in Chad amid growing concerns by opposition groups and rights organisations over restrictions on dissent and political freedoms.

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