Chad: Overview of inter/intra-community conflicts (July 2024)

OVERVIEW

A total of 26 inter- and intra-communal conflicts were reported in Chad during the first half of 2024 (1 January to 30 June), according to the monitoring and analysis mechanism. Farmer-herder conflicts accounted for 42% of these incidents, while intra-communal disputes and land conflicts comprised 39% and 19%, respectively. The southern region was most affected, experiencing 77% of all reported conflicts.

These conflicts resulted in over 100 deaths and 90 injuries. Approximately 2,700 people were displaced due to two of these incidents in the southern and Lac regions. Compared to the same period in 2023, there was a decrease in both the number of inter/intra-communal conflicts (37 to 26) and casualties (188 deaths and 360 injuries in 2023 versus 111 deaths and 96 injuries in 2024). Consequently, fewer people were displaced in 2024. However, the number of incidents increased compared to the second half of 2023 (14 incidents), with a corresponding rise in fatalities (40 to 100).

The root causes of these conflicts include competition for scarce resources like pasture and farmland due to population growth and climate change, access to water points, crop destruction by livestock, cattle theft and limited transhumance corridors. In order to prevent inter/intra-communal conflicts, it is advisable to encourage the use of mechanisms oriented towards long-term solutions that meet the needs of all socio-economic groups in terms of availability and access to natural resources. In addition, it is necessary to prioritize stabilization and peacebuilding efforts that incorporate transhumance, community-based conflict resolution mechanisms, as well as protection of civilians. Throughout the country, several local authorities have readily engaged in campaigns calling for tolerance, social cohesion and peace.