N'DJAMENA, Aug 16,  (V7N) - Chad's main opposition leader Succes Masra has called for reconciliation with President Mahamat Idriss Deby, shortly after being freed from prison under a presidential pardon.

"We need forgiveness, unity and peace. Gathered here today, we reaffirm to the entire nation our determination to build a reconciled Chad," Masra on Saturday told hundreds of supporters at his party headquarters in the capital N'Djamena.

The former prime minister and leader of the opposition Transformers party was released late Friday after spending more than a year behind bars.

Masra had been serving a 20-year prison sentence for incitement to hatred and complicity in murder following a trial that Human Rights Watch (HRW) described as politically motivated.

"My conviction is that we must work together. We are ready to start tomorrow morning," Masra said.

"They know that outside the government, we are the main political force. Nothing can be built in the future without us."

A presidential decree published Friday granted pardons to Masra and eight other jailed opposition figures.

The measure cancels their prison sentences but does not erase their convictions, meaning they retain criminal records and cannot run for office.

A 42-year-old economist and one of Chad's most prominent opposition figures, Masra fled into exile in neighbouring Cameroon in late 2022 after a protest was violently suppressed by security forces, leaving many dead.

He returned a year later under an agreement reached with the Chadian government and was subsequently appointed prime minister.

Five months later, he ran against Deby in the May 2024 election, finishing second with nearly 20 percent of the vote.

Deby won around 60 percent in a poll that was widely contested and boycotted by much of the opposition.

The Central African country of around 20 million people has been led by Deby since 2021, when he took power at the end of a military transition following the death of his father, longtime ruler Idriss Deby Itno.

In October 2025, Chad adopted constitutional changes creating a renewable seven-year presidential term with no limit on re-election, a move HRW said further weakened prospects for meaningful democratic change.

END/WD/RH