The political situation in Chad is tense once again. This tension follows inter-community clashes in the province of Logone Occidental, specifically in Mandakao, in the department of Dodje Beinamar in Chad. As of 14 May 2025, the conflict has left 42 people dead and several injured. Two days after these unfortunate events, the former Prime Minister and President of the Les Transformateurs party, Mr Assyongar Masra Succès, was abducted by the security forces from his home at 5 a.m. on 16 May 2025 on charges of inciting hatred.

It should be noted that these clashes between herders and farmers are frequent in southern Chad, and inter-community violence has worsened during the political transition and today, following the assassination of Idriss Déby Itno, the former Chadian president, in April 2021. These various conflicts throughout the country are fuelled by the ruling power, its inability to ensure the safety of the population and its lack of will. After the constitutional coup in 2021, Chad is going through a period of political obscurantism, plunging it into an authoritarian, repressive regime. Since coming to power, Mahamat Déby, supported by his late father’s political party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS), has stifled all dissenting voices. This regime, inherited from a dictatorial father (Deby), is consolidated in blood and will stop at nothing to remain in power. This barbaric authoritarian regime has relentlessly repressed the opposition, activists and dissident voices, notably by violently dispersing peaceful demonstrations throughout the country. The authorities have opted for a regime of repression with arbitrary arrests, assassinating opponents and torturing journalists while they are on duty.

As a reminder, following the military takeover in April 2021 after the death of Idriss Déby Itno, the opposition and civil society organised a peaceful march to say ‘No’ to this constitutional coup. During this demonstration, the authorities used excessive force, firing live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators. As a result, a dozen demonstrators were killed and wounded.

The series of massacres continues, notably the events of 20 October 2022, when the opposition and civil society organised a peaceful march to say ‘NO’ to the extension of the transition for another two (2) years, after eighteen (18) months of failure in the first part of the transition. On this occasion, the security forces fired live ammunition at demonstrators in all major cities in Chad, killing more than three hundred (300) people and injuring a large number of them, who were reported missing, and carrying out arbitrary arrests in homes at night. According to the Human Rights Watch report, hundreds of men and minors were deported to a high-security prison in the Koro-Toro desert, located 600 km from N’Djamena. During their deportation, several of these young people died en route as a result of torture and ill-treatment due to the conditions of travel (lack of water, food, etc., and a journey lasting more than 48 hours).
As the 2024 presidential elections approached, marking the end of the political transition in Chad, the leader of the Socialist Party Without Borders (PSF) was assassinated by security forces during an attack on the party’s headquarters, which was then razed to the ground.

In addition to this political violence, there were the unfortunate events of 9 May 2024, when the provisional election results were announced. When the results were announced, military personnel and civilians used military weapons to celebrate this hard-won victory for the people. These celebratory shots killed a dozen people and injured several others in the victims’ homes (Human Rights Watch report), which is unacceptable in a country governed by the rule of law. To date, the authorities have shown no willingness to clarify these massacres of civilians and the arrests of human rights defenders and political opponents. In this regard, the Director of Human Rights Watch in Central Africa stated in one of his reports that ‘the Chadian authorities have repeatedly cracked down on peaceful dissent through arrests and other forms of repression’. All this is happening in full view of the international community. When will the national judiciary gain its independence, impartiality and freedom to exercise its power? How can we describe this political machination, riddled with corruption and subordination to political authority? When will the justice system put an end to these arbitrary arrests and clarify all these massacres?

The restriction of political space has resurfaced with the blatant abduction of the president of the Transformers party, following inter-community conflict in Mandakao. This motive is merely a pretext to mask the government’s inability to ensure the safety of the population and to stir up opposition in order to imprison it and remove it from the upcoming elections. Their indifference is justified by their lack of compassion for these victims and their loved ones. While the victims of Mandakao are waiting for the authorities to take action and shed light on the root causes of these tragic events, the authorities are focusing on one individual, charging him with unfounded allegations. The only argument put forward is the audio recording, dating from May 2023, calling on the population who were victims of terrorist massacres to defend themselves against these individuals, given the government’s failure to act. This abduction constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms and basic principles of the rule of law. To this end, the collective of lawyers representing the opposition leader Assyongar Masra Succès denounced a ‘political-judicial cabal’ against their client during a press briefing. The lawyers expressed concern about statements made by certain members of the government, which they consider indicative of a ‘conspiracy’ aimed at manipulating the justice system against the leader of the Transformers. These conditions violate the principle of fair trial and the presumption of innocence.

Civil society and political parties are outraged by the authoritarian drift of the regime led by Mr Mahamat Kaka Deby since he came to power by force in 2021. Since then, there has been an increase in intimidation, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and illegal detentions, which appear to target critics and, above all, political opponents. In particular, the arrest of the president of the Les Transformateurs party is not an isolated case. Other cases include:

• The abduction of Mr Robert Gam, secretary of the Parti Socialiste sans Frontière (PSF), whose president was assassinated (Yaya Diollo), with no clarification until his release after seven (7) months;
• The prolonged detention without cause or trial of independent journalists such as Mahamat Saleh Alhissein and Olivier Monodji Mbaindiguim, whose only crime was to have exercised their profession with rigour and courage;
• The abduction of Mr Noubadiguim Ronelyambaye and Eric Doassal;
• The most recent case is that of Mr. Siguidé Djimtoidé, a member of the Transformers party, who was arrested at his home at 9 p.m., a few days after the abduction of their president, Mr. Assyongar Masra Succès, for exercising his right to intellectual freedom;
• The threats and assassination attempts against political leaders, notably Mr. Max Kemkoye, Professor Avocksouma Atchénémou and others…

In addition to these names, there is a longer list of citizens, activists, and intellectuals who have been kidnapped and persecuted or forced into exile for their political opinions. These acts are incompatible with Chad’s commitments to respect human rights and civil liberties, as guaranteed by the constitution and international and regional conventions to which Chad is a signatory.

This kidnapping of Mr. Assyongar Masra Succès is a strategy by the ruling government to intimidate the opposition by creating a climate of widespread terror and fear. This method of intimidation and political brutality cannot be tolerated in a society that aspires to democracy, justice, peace, and development.
Following the kidnapping of the leader of the Les Transformateurs Party, deadly violence has increased in several regions of the country, adding to the growing climate of insecurity that is weighing on civilian populations. After Mandakao, bloody attacks have recently brought mourning to several localities in the country. On June 10, 2025, in Molou, in the province of Ouaddaï, more than eighteen (18) people lost their lives and others were injured during an attack perpetrated by armed individuals. On June 19 of the same year, another attack in Oregom in retaliation for the events in Mandakao, in the province of Mayo Kebbi-Ouest, recorded around twenty deaths, mostly children and women, as well as the injured. In the same week, the assassination of the canton chief of Dar Salim, in Salamat, should also be noted. This series of massacres can be explained by a failure of the State and insufficient security guarantees for citizens and their property. Adding to this situation of impunity is the shrinking space for public freedoms, which is worrying with extrajudicial arrests carried out by unidentified individuals operating outside of legal procedures. Some people are reportedly detained in intelligence service premises, away from the control of the prosecutor’s office or the judicial police. This political situation is incompatible with the construction of a rule of law and the climate of social cohesion in Chad.

A rule of law is not built on political violence, but on freedom of expression, political plurality, and respect for human dignity. To put an end to this political drift, which is in no way a democratic principle, it is more than urgent to establish a credible democratic process, guaranteeing the participation of all political and social actors in a peaceful climate.

To this end, we launch a solemn appeal to the international community, human rights organizations, foreign chancelleries, the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union to take all necessary steps to call on the Chadian state to respect its international commitments. An authoritarian regime is not part of democratic dynamism. It is time for the Chadian state to make up for this democratic delay, release all detainees and put an end to political violence, massacres, and arbitrary arrests, clarify the responsibility of all those involved in these massacres, and free up public space for expression and peaceful marches. There is still time for Mr. Mahamat Kaka Deby to show restraint. Governing is not about hunting down opponents or journalists. He will gain neither respect nor legitimacy by persecuting opponents with ridiculous fabrications relayed by social networks and automated media. By constantly confusing justice with revenge, and the security of the population in favor of repression, he will plunge an entire nation into chaos. The Chadian people deserve better than this tasteless staging. They expect adequate answers to put an end to this series of massacres and justice for the victims. Justice is the backbone of the rule of law, and therefore, members of the executive branch are called upon to ensure respect for fundamental rights for all, without discrimination, and to make the rule of law effective in Chad.

Mbaiadjim Bekoutou
Human rights activist, legal consultant, and trainer