Chadian opposition leader and former Prime Minister Succes Masra has announced that he has begun a hunger strike after spending more than a month in detention. Masra, who was arrested on May 16, 2025, made the statement in a letter to his supporters, condemning what he described as “undeserved injustices.”
“Starting tonight, I will begin a hunger strike in solidarity with all of you and in protest against undeserved injustices,” his statement was shared publicly by members of his political party, Transformers. Masra also expressed confusion about the reasons behind his continued detention, saying, “I have been here for 40 days, and I am still, like you, undoubtedly, searching for the reason for my being here.”
Masra faces a number of serious charges, including incitement to hatred and sedition, association with armed groups, complicity in murder and arson, and desecration of graves. His legal team described his arrest as arbitrary and his request for temporary release was rejected by the courts on June 19.
“We consider this an arbitrary detention,” said Francis Kadjilembaye, the coordinator of Masra’s legal team. French lawyer Vincent Brengarth voiced his concern, calling for an immediate end to what he described as an “unfair procedure”.
Masra’s arrest comes just two days after a deadly attack in Mandakao, in Logone Occidental, in southwestern Chad, in which 42 people, mostly women and children, were reportedly killed. Authorities accused Masra of inciting violence with an audio message in 2023 that allegedly called on civilians to take up arms. The statement, originally made by Ngambaye, was reportedly used as grounds for an international arrest warrant that Masra’s lawyers said was later revoked in November 2023.
Masra, a prominent figure from the Ngambaye ethnic group in southern Chad, remains popular in the country’s Christian and animist south, where many feel marginalised by the predominantly Muslim government in the capital, N’Djamena. He unsuccessfully ran in Chad’s 2024 presidential election.