President Mahamat Déby of Chad has pardoned political rival and former Prime Minister Succès Masra who was serving a 20-year sentence.
Masra, who is expected to be released from prison, was pardon alongside eight other political figures serving various jail terms over what many described as political motivated offenses.
The development comes four days after the president promised to free several convicted individuals, to foster national unity, peace and reconciliation.
Masra, a fierce critic of the President, claimed to have defeated him in an election in 2024, and was later accused of spreading hate messages on social media linked to the violence in which authorities said at least 42 people died.
A statement from the presidency said the eight other pardoned political figures belonged to the Group for the Coordination of Political Actors (GCAP), a renowned coalition in the country. They were each serving eight-year prison terms after being arrested in April for organising a banned protest.
The statement described all nine recipients of state pardons as people “in a position of power but not in line with justice”.
Meanwhile, a separate decree allows several detainees across the country to benefit from a partial remission of their sentences.
Following the announcement of Déby’s decision to pardon the opposition figures, Masra’s Transformers Party said in a Facebook post that it marked the opening of a “new page. Let’s write it together.”
Reacting on the news, opposition RNDT-Le Réveil party, said it is a welcome development, saying it is “an encouraging signal, which should pave the way for a broader dynamic of political openness in the country”.
It also urged Déby to further engage in lasting efforts towards sincere and inclusive dialogue for the benefit of the nation.
It is not yet clear what Friday’s development means for Masra’s political ambitions.
Masra briefly served as interim prime minister of the transitional government between January and May 2024.
His party had boycotted legislative polls that 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.
