Eastern Chad has been rocked by clashes between two communities resulting in the tragic loss of at least 42 lives, according to the public security ministry’s announcement on Thursday. This unrest unfolded in the desert expanse of the Sahel country, an area often marred by land disputes.
While specifics regarding the belligerent parties and the duration of the conflict were not disclosed by the ministry, it is a region where tensions frequently flare between sedentary farmers and nomadic herders, among other groups, over territorial claims.
The ministry revealed that 175 individuals were apprehended at the scene, where “a significant portion” of Tileguey village in Ouaddai province fell victim to arson perpetrated by armed individuals.
General Mahamat Charfadine Margui, the Public Security Minister, conveyed to AFP via a telephonic message that the situation is presently contained as efforts to reconcile conflicting parties are underway. General Margui is personally overseeing the situation on-site, leading a delegation comprising government and military representatives with the objective of fully elucidating the incident.
In the eastern and southern regions of Chad, where a considerable number of inhabitants are armed, confrontations frequently erupt over allegations of encroachment by herders onto farmland or destruction of crops.
