Ethnic Clashes over Water Kill Seven in Chad

At least seven people have been killed and 22 others injured in clashes between two ethnic communities over access to water in central Chad, local sources told AFP on Friday.

The violence highlights recurring tensions over scarce natural resources in Chad, which the United Nations identifies as one of Africa’s countries most exposed to climate change.

Disputes involving water, farmland and livestock have frequently triggered deadly communal confrontations.

A local administrator, who requested anonymity, told AFP that members of the Kreda community attacked Isne, a village inhabited by the Kuka, killing seven people and setting several settlements on fire.

“The Kreda attacked Isne, a village of the Kuka community, killing seven people and burning several villages,” a local administrator said. 

A local lawmaker traced the violence to a disagreement after a Kreda herder attempted to water his animals at a pond in an area largely occupied by the Kuka community.

He explained that the dispute escalated when the herder drew a gun and shot a Kuka man in the foot, triggering an exchange of gunfire. 

The fighting left 22 people injured, who were taken to a hospital in Ngoura, the administrative centre of the department.

“In the wake of the dispute, the Kreda got out his weapon and shot at a Kuka’s foot. That set off a gunfight, with 22 injured people taken to the hospital in Ngoura,” the politician added.

Another local official confirmed to AFP that security personnel intervened to restore calm.

The latest violence follows another deadly confrontation in the region in November, when a dispute between the Kuka and Gourane communities over access to a well claimed 33 lives.