Former prime minister arrested over alleged links to deadly clashes

Chad’s former prime minister and opposition leader, Succès Masra, has been arrested over alleged links to clashes which took place on Wednesday in the south west of the country, a public prosecutor has said.

He is suspected of spreading hateful messages on social media linked to the violence in which at least 42 people died, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye said.

Masra’s Transformers party said he had been “kidnapped” by military officers in the early hours of the morning” and denounced his detention, which it says was “carried out outside of any known judicial procedure”.

Masra is a fierce critic of President Mahamat Déby and claimed to have defeated him in elections last year.

Masra said his victory had been stolen “from the people” although the official results said Déby had won with 61% of the vote.

Wednesday’s clashes broke out in the village of Mandakao, in Logone Occidental province near the Cameroonian border.

“Messages were circulated, notably on social networks, calling on the population to arm themselves against other citizens,” Mr Kedelaye said.

It is not entirely clear what caused the violence, but one source told the AFP news agency that it is believed it was triggered by a land dispute between farmers from the Ngambaye community and Fulani herdsmen.

There has been a troubling recent pattern of violence between local farmers and herders, with the farmers accusing the latter of grazing animals on their land.

More than 80 others have also been detained in connection with the clashes.

Masra briefly served as interim prime minister of the transitional government between January and May 2024.

His party boycotted legislative polls last December due to concerns over the transparency of the electoral process.

The Déby family has ruled Chad for more than three decades.

The military installed Déby as Chad’s leader after his father, Idriss Déby Itno, was killed by rebels in 2021.

Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor