Former Chad PM arrested over alleged links to deadly clash

Chad's former prime minister, Succès Masra, has been arrested.

He is accused of links to a violent clash on Wednesday.

The public prosecutor, Oumar Mahamat Kedelaye, stated that Masra spread hateful messages online.

This violence resulted in at least 42 deaths.

Masra's Transformers party claims he was "kidnapped" by military officers early in the morning.

They denounced his detention as unlawful and outside judicial procedures.

Masra is a strong critic of President Mahamat Déby.

He claimed to have defeated Déby in last year's elections.

Masra believes his victory was stolen from the people.

Official results showed Déby won with 61% of the vote.

The clash occurred in Mandakao village, near the Cameroonian border.

Kedelaye noted that social media messages urged people to arm themselves against others.

The cause of the violence remains unclear.

One source suggested it stemmed from a land dispute between farmers and herders.

Farmers accuse herders of grazing their animals on their land.

More than 80 others have also been detained related to these clashes.

Masra briefly served as interim prime minister from January to May 2024.

His party boycotted legislative polls last December over electoral transparency concerns.

The Déby family has ruled Chad for over three decades.

The military installed Déby after his father was killed by rebels in 2021.