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A deadly confrontation in southwest Chad has left 35 people dead and six others injured, the government announced on Thursday, marking one of the most severe episodes of intercommunal violence in the region this year.
Government spokesman and communication minister Gassim Cherif Mahamat said the fighting broke out on Wednesday in the village of Mandakao, located in the Logone-Occidental region. While authorities did not specify the parties involved, local sources said the violence stemmed from a land dispute between Fulani nomadic herders and Ngambaye farmers.
The conflict reportedly centred on disagreements over grazing and farming boundaries — a recurring flashpoint in the region where tensions between pastoralist and agrarian communities have deepened in recent years.
“The defence and security forces quickly intervened and managed to bring the situation under control,” Mahamat said, without providing further detail on arrests or measures taken to prevent further violence.
Southern Chad, where Mandakao is situated, has seen frequent clashes between the largely Muslim Fulani herders and sedentary farmers from Christian and animist communities. Locals often accuse the central government in N’Djamena — dominated by Muslim elites — of ignoring the grievances of the southern populations.
The International Crisis Group estimates that similar disputes between pastoralists and farmers in Chad have claimed over 1,000 lives and left more than 2,000 injured between 2021 and 2024. Climate change, population growth, and diminishing arable land have further intensified these tensions.
The latest violence comes following broader instability in Chad, a country grappling with security threats from militant groups in its north and west, as well as a volatile political transition following the death of longtime leader Idriss Déby Itno in 2021.
