In Chad, the trial of prominent opposition leader and former prime minister Succès Masra resumed Saturday in N’Djamena, with prosecutors seeking a 25-year prison sentence.

Masra, along with 74 others, is accused of criminal conspiracy, spreading racist and xenophobic messages, and alleged involvement in the deadly intercommunity conflict in Mandakao on May 14, 2025, which left 76 people dead. The prosecution is also demanding a joint fine of 5 billion CFA francs and the confiscation of Masra’s assets.

The defense, led by Francis Kadjilembaye, has called for full acquittals, arguing that the state has presented no concrete evidence — no fingerprints, eyewitnesses, or video footage linking the accused to the massacre.

Masra, leader of the opposition party “The Transformers,” was arrested on May 16, 2025, following an earlier audio recording in which he allegedly called for armed resistance against government reforms.