In Chad, the Supreme Court in N’Djamena has definitively rejected the appeal filed by the legal representatives of former Prime Minister Succès Masra. This ruling solidifies his 20-year prison sentence in a case connected to the deadly Mandakao violence.

The former Chadian Prime Minister and leader of Les Transformateurs party, Succès Masra, has seen his 20-year rigorous prison sentence irrevocably confirmed. On Thursday, May 21, the N’Djamena Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal lodged by his team of lawyers, thereby concluding all internal judicial avenues.

The former head of government received his conviction last August from the Criminal Court on charges of “dissemination of racist and xenophobic messages,” “criminal association,” and “complicity in murder.” Chadian justice notably accused him of a message broadcast in 2023, deemed to have contributed to the bloody inter-communal clashes that erupted in Mandakao in May 2025.

A substantial security presence, including police and military forces, was visibly deployed around the Supreme Court’s premises during the hearing. Despite the public nature of the session, access to the area remained restricted.

With this latest decision, Succès Masra has exhausted all national legal remedies. His remaining legal recourse may now lie with sub-regional or international jurisdictions. Supporters of the opposition figure have consistently labeled the proceedings a political trial. “We therefore hope that a political solution will be found,” stated Claudia Hoinathy, an executive member of Les Transformateurs party.