At least 42 people have been killed in eastern Chad after a dispute between two families over access to a village water point spiraled into a devastating cycle of violent reprisals.
The bloodshed occurred in Igote village in Wadi Fira province, near the Sudanese border, where what began as a local clash escalated rapidly. Authorities confirmed that a rapid military response was deployed to the area to restore calm, as officials launched mediation efforts and a criminal investigation into the massacre .
Deputy Prime Minister Limane Mahamat addressed the crisis, emphasizing the government’s commitment to preventing future outbreaks of communal violence. “Conflicts that cause a high number of deaths will no longer happen,” Mahamat stated.
“These people have lived together for a long time and are forced to live together. And since they are forced to live together, we must create the necessary conditions for them to live in peace. We therefore ask traditional chiefs to play their full role in raising awareness.”
The tragedy highlights the escalating tensions over natural resources in the region, a crisis exacerbated by the ongoing war in neighboring Sudan, which has sent hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing into Chad, straining already limited water supplies