Nine leaders of Chad’s GCAP opposition movement have been arrested and placed in detention by authorities under President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno ahead of a protest scheduled for 2 May.
According to Hissein Abdoulaye, a spokesperson for the GCAP group, the individuals were arrested on Saturday and remain in custody at a police facility.
A police source, who spoke anonymously, also confirmed that they are currently being held.
GCAP had announced plans for a “march of protest and indignation” on 2 May, but the government has since prohibited the demonstration.
Earlier in October, parliament overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment introducing a seven-year presidential term with no limit on re-election, less than two years after the constitution was adopted through a referendum.
Critics argue that the amendment effectively enables Deby to remain in power indefinitely.
The opposition party Les Transformateurs condemned the arrests, stating: “These events disturbingly recall the arbitrary arrest of (party) president Succes Masra since May 16, 2015.”
In May 2025, Masra, a former prime minister, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for “incitement to hatred and violence” in a trial that rights organisation HRW described as “politically motivated”.