Chad’s President Mahamat Déby has pardoned political rival and former Prime Minister Succès Masra who was serving a 20-year sentence, paving the way for his release from prison.

Masra, a fierce critic of president, claimed to have defeated him in an election in 2024.

The opposition figure had been arrested last May over alleged links to a clash which took place in the south-west of the country. He was accused of spreading hateful messages on social media linked to the violence in which authorities said at least 42 people died.

The decision to pardon Masra comes four days after the president promised to free several convicted individuals – to foster national unity, peace and reconciliation.

However, the presidential pardon does not amount to an amnesty. This means all nine of those pardoned – including Masra – could still be prosecuted, the presidency underscored.

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.”

They had originally decried Masra’s arrest as a kidnapping by military officers “carried out outside of any known judicial procedure”.

News of the state pardons was also welcomed by the opposition RNDT-Le Réveil party, which called it “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.

Additional reporting by Chris Ewokor and Natasha Booty