Succès Masra, former prime minister of Chad and leader of the opposition Transformers party, was arrested early Friday morning at his residence in Gassi, a district of the capital N’Djamena.
Surveillance footage shows armed men removing Masra from his home.
Authorities accuse Masra of inciting hatred related to violent clashes in the south-western Logone-Occidental region, which erupted over a land dispute between herders and local communities.
The violence left at least 41 people dead and led to the detention of over 80 individuals.
In a press conference, the Transformers party denounced the arrest as a “kidnapping” and demanded Masra’s immediate release.
“This brutal action was carried out outside any known legal procedure and violates the civil and political rights enshrined in our constitution,” said Dr. Tog-Yeum Nagorngar, the party’s secretary general.
Chad’s public prosecutor, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye, later confirmed Masra’s detention, citing an ongoing investigation by judicial police.
He claimed messages had circulated—mainly on social media—encouraging citizens to take up arms, allegedly implicating Masra, though he provided no specific evidence or content of the messages.
Masra, a vocal critic of President Mahamat Déby and runner-up in last year’s presidential election, has urged his supporters to remain calm in the face of rising tensions.
