At least 42 killed in Chad after water well dispute escalates

The dispute was initially between two families before escalating into a cycle of reprisal attacks. Chad water well dispute escalates leaving at least 42 dead Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. There are frequently disputes over access to water in Chad A herder wearing a turban and light gown with his back to the camera at a water well, along with several camels and donkeys At least 42 killed in Chad after water well dispute escalates At least 42 people have been killed and 10 injured in fighting between rival ethnic groups in eastern Chad in a conflict that began as a dispute over a water well, officials say. The conflict in Wadi Fira province, initially between two families, is said to have escalated into a cycle of reprisal attacks that spread over a wide area, with villages burned down. Chadian authorities said on Sunday that a delegation led by deputy Prime Minister Limane Mahamat had been sent to the area and the situation had been brought under control. Deadly communal clashes are common in the central African nation, with a long-running pattern of disputes between farmers and herders, as well as ethnic tensions. The clashes are often triggered by competition over water and grazing land. The arrival of refugees fleeing the civil war in neighbouring Sudan in recent months has further raised tensions over resources and security. On Sunday, the deputy prime minister said the government was taking all necessary measures to prevent the conflict in Sudan from destabilising the border area. Communal clashes in Chad have led to the death of hundreds of people in recent years, including 33 killed in November over a disputed well in Dibebe, in the south-west. According to the International Crisis Group think-tank, 1,000 people were killed and 2,000 injured in about 100 clashes between 2021 and 2024. Rights Group Amnesty International last year said it had documented seven episodes of herder-farmer violence between 2022 and 2024, resulting in 98 deaths. It said the clashes were driven by climate change and other issues, and that despite the recurring violence, authorities had failed to adequately protect the population. Amnesty said responses by security forces were often delayed and perpetrators were not being held to account "fuelling a sense of impunity and marginalisation within communities". A head-and-shoulders image from the side of a woman in a coloured headscarf and pink top. Other women, out of focus, can be seen in the background. Chad shuts border with Sudan in bid to stop conflict spreading Podcast: Chad - a rise in intercommunal violence A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica President Idris Mahamat Déby orders the military to be on high alert and a "total closure" of the border. A Chadian government spokesperson says the decision is aimed at protecting citizens. Franco-Chadian military relations have been strained after Chad abruptly ended its defence agreement with France. Ethnic Tuareg fighters say they are in control of Kidal following a weekend of nationwide attacks, alongside Islamist groups. The UK's maritime monitor reports at least four suspected piracy incidents in the past week off the coast of Somalia. A wave of coordinated attacks by jihadist militants and separatists has spread through the country. Witnesses report clashes in the centre and north, in what has been described as the largest jihadist attack in years. The activist has condemned France's influence in West Africa and been accused of being a "Russian mouthpiece".