Chad is once again mourning the victims of a fight over water. At least 25 people were killed and 22 others wounded on Friday, October 30, in the Koula area, during clashes between herders and farmers. The Ministry of Territorial Administration released the toll on Sunday, placing the violence in a border zone between Hadjer-Lamis and Bahr El-Ghazal provinces.
The tragedy started at a simple watering hole. According to a local lawmaker quoted by AFP, a Kreda herder who had brought his cattle to drink at a pond got into an argument with a member of the Kuka community. The quarrel took a deadly turn when the herder pulled out his weapon and shot the other man in the foot. A gunfight then broke out between the two communities, and the wounded were taken to hospital in Ngoura.
Security forces have since regained control of the area. Thirty-nine people were arrested and transferred to N’Djamena for legal proceedings, and a delegation of several ministers travelled to the scene on Saturday.
Such violence is nothing new, but it is growing more lethal. Researchers interviewed by RFI point to the spread of military-grade weapons among civilians and to how quickly mobile phones allow communities to mobilise, with relatives able to race in on motorbikes from villages as far as 100 kilometres away. Political scientist Bourdjolbo Tchoubida also highlights links between some herders and the military, as administrative and military officials posted to remote areas take up livestock farming themselves.
The climate is making tensions worse. This year, below-average rainfall has shrunk available water supplies and sharpened competition between herders and farmers. According to the United Nations, Chad ranks among Africa’s most climate-vulnerable countries, and fewer than 10% of its households had reliable access to safe running water in 2024.
The Koula incident is part of a deadly pattern. In late April, a dispute over a well had already left 42 dead and ten wounded in Wadi Fira, in the east of the country. More recently, Salamat province in the southeast saw another bloody clash, after which authorities seized 51 weapons from farmers and herders.
Faced with this spiral, some are calling for a deeper response. Political scientist Yamingué Betinbaye believes the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic, backed by the Ministry of Territorial Administration, could lead a comprehensive plan to address the root causes of the violence and anticipate future flare-ups.