Intercommunal clashes in eastern Chad kill 42 people
via SeneNews2 min read
At least 42 people were killed on Saturday in intercommunal clashes in eastern Chad, a government delegate announced on Sunday. The conflict erupted following a dispute over a well between two families in the sub-prefecture of Guéréda, according to Brahim Issa Galmaye, the government delegate for Wadi Fira province. Several ministers, high-ranking local officials, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces were dispatched to the scene on Sunday. Limane Mahamat, Vice Prime Minister in charge of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, stated on public television that the situation is under control. Eastern Chad, a strategic transhumance zone bordering war-torn Sudan, has experienced conflicts between different communities, primarily sedentary farmers and nomadic Arab herders, for several years. The Vice Prime Minister attributed the violence to the regional context, referencing the ongoing civil war in neighboring Sudan. He emphasized efforts to contain the situation and prevent the conflict from spreading to Chad. Last November, similar intercommunal clashes over access to a water well in Hadjer-Lamis province, central Chad, resulted in at least 33 deaths. Chad frequently experiences intercommunal violence, particularly in rural areas where disputes over land, livestock, and water access can turn deadly. According to International Crisis Group, agro-pastoral conflicts caused over a thousand deaths and 2,000 injuries between 2021 and 2024.
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