France, July 7 -- Lawyers in Chad representing former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra have issued a formal appeal to French President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to intervene in what they describe as a politically motivated legal case after Masra was arrested in May.

Masra, who leads the opposition Les Transformateurs party, has been held in pre-trial detention since May 2025 on charges of orchestrating the massacre of 42 herders in Mandakao, near the border with Cameroon, on May 14 - an allegation he categorically denies.

According to his legal team, which includes both Chadian and French lawyers, the judge's decision to detain Masra was made under pressure from the highest levels of the Chadian government.

In a lett...