Chad's former Prime Minister Succes Masra sentenced to 20 years in prison

A court in Chad has sentenced opposition leader and former Prime Minister Succes Masra to 20 years in jail after he was convicted of inciting communal violence in which more than 40 people were killed in the southwest in May.

The special criminal chamber in Chad's capital N'djamena convicted Masra of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre, Francis Kadjilembaye, one of the defence lawyers, told reporters on Saturday.

The court also ordered Masra to pay a fine of 1 billion West African CFA francs ($1.8 million).

Masra denied the charges during the trial.

Masra denied charges

His lawyers argued that the prosecution failed to present concrete evidence that implicated Masra.