At least 42 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Chad. The government representative for the area reported this to the AFP news agency on Sunday evening. According to him, the reason for the violence was an argument between two families over a well.
The fighting between different ethnic groups took place on Saturday near the town of Guereda in Wadi Fira province. Deputy Prime Minister Limane Mahamat announced on the state channel on Sunday evening that the situation is now “under control and remains manageable”.
Eastern Chad is an area where pastoralists travel with their herds. Violence has regularly broken out between native farmers and nomadic Arab livestock herders for years. The area also borders civil war-ravaged Sudan and the many refugees only increase tensions over the use of land and scarce resources.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the violence stems “from a broader context”, by which he refers to the conflict in Sudan. “We will do everything to contain the situation and prevent our country from being dragged into this conflict, which does not concern us in any way,” he emphasized.
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