25 feared dead following clash over water in Chad

At least 25 people have lost their lives and 22 others injured in clashes between rival ethnic communities over access to water in central Chad, the government said on Sunday, November 1. The violence broke out on Friday, October 30, in an area bordering Hadjer-Lamis and Bahr El-Ghazal provinces, following a dispute at a pond.

A local lawmaker told AFP that the confrontation began between a Kreda herder, who had brought cattle to drink, and a member of the Kuka community. “In the wake of the dispute, the Kreda got out his weapon and shot the Kuka’s foot. That set off a gunfight between the two communities, with 22 injured people taken to the hospital in Ngoura,” the lawmaker said.

Another local official told AFP that security forces had since brought the situation largely under control. The Ministry of Territorial Administration confirmed the casualty figures on Sunday, November 1, and said 39 people had been arrested and transferred to the capital, N’Djamena.

A government delegation led by several ministers visited the affected area on Saturday, October 31. The ministry said the visit was part of “government efforts to restore calm, protect civilians, prevent further escalation and encourage dialogue between the communities”. Chad regularly experiences intercommunal violence linked to disputes over water, land and livestock.

The United Nations considers the country among those in Africa most vulnerable to climate change, while access to water remains highly unequal. According to UN figures, fewer than 10 per cent of households had reliable access to safe running water in 2024. The latest clashes follow an incident in eastern Chad in April, when a dispute over a water well left 44 people dead and 10 others injured.