SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Chad ex-opposition figure Succes Masra appointed PM: presidency
N'Djamena, Jan 1 (AFP) Jan 01, 2024
Chad's transitional president General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Monday appointed a former leading opposition leader, who recently returned from exile, as prime minister.

Succes Masra, president of The Transformers party, was a long-time opponent of the Deby dynasty but returned to Chad in November after reaching an agreement with its military leaders.

Days before last month's referendum on a new constitution -- which saw 86 percent of participants vote "yes" -- Masra publicly urged supporters to vote in favour, with the outcome now expected to pave the way to elections.

"Doctor Succes Masra is appointed prime minister, head of the transition government," general secretary to the presidency Mahamat Ahmat Alabo announced on state TV.

Masra went into exile shortly after October 20, 2022 protests against the military regime, which had just extended by two years an 18-month transition supposed to culminate in elections and the return of power to a civilian government.

Authorities say some 50 people were killed that day. The opposition and local and international NGOs put the toll between 100 and 300.

Almost all of the victims were shot dead by the military and the police, mainly in the capital N'Djamena.

Masra only returned from exile on November 3 following a reconciliation agreement signed in Kinshasa on October 31 which guaranteed him free exercise of political activities.

He has told the government he wants to "continue dialogue... with a view to a peaceful political solution".

Several opposition parties have distanced themselves from Masra, while furthermore speaking out against a general amnesty the regime has granted for "all Chadians, civilians and military" involved in the events of the October 2022 protest which has become known as Black Thursday.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Interference to astronomy the unintended consequence of faster internet
Russian rocket puts Iran satellite into space: Iran media
Viasat unveils IoT Nano service for global low-power connectivity

24/7 Energy News Coverage
NASA's X-59 moves under its own power
Sri Lanka orders Singapore shipowner to pay US$1 bn over marine disaster
More than 80% of Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
New MachLab rocket test site launches UK into next phase of space engineering
Ukraine's anti-graft body says new bill restores independence
Iran meets European powers amid threats of UN sanctions snapback

24/7 News Coverage
Australia's mammal megafauna face long-term decline from extinctions and invasive species
Alien life clues may emerge from deep sea volcanic vents on Earth
Seismic signatures reveal fragmentation patterns of fireball meteoroids



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.