At least 11 people were killed in a violent clash between nomadic herders and farmers in southern Chad this weekend.
The attack occurred early Sunday in the Timberi canton of Logone Oriental province, approximately 600 kilometers south of N’Djamena, Chad’s capital.
According to provincial governor General Toke Dadi, armed herders launched the assault at dawn, targeting a village and killing 11 villagers, including three women and an infant.
The attack left nine others injured, five of whom suffered gunshot wounds, the governor confirmed in a phone interview.
“Some farmers were burned to death inside their huts, while 57 homes were destroyed, and several oxen were stolen,” he added.
Authorities responded swiftly, deploying 20 military vehicles to chase down the attackers. However, the precise motivations for the violence remain uncertain.
General Dadi suggested the attack may stem from tensions over a November 30 incident in which a farmer was killed.
This earlier killing reportedly provoked an attack on grazing land by villagers, resulting in the death of an elderly herder and the loss of livestock.
Local sources independently corroborated the death toll and details of the escalating violence.
Clashes between nomadic Muslim herders and predominantly Christian or animist farming communities are a recurring issue in Chad.
The fertile border zones near Cameroon and the Central African Republic are frequent flashpoints for these deadly disputes.
As tensions simmer, authorities face mounting pressure to address the underlying causes of the long-standing conflict.
