Fresh intercommunal violence in Chad’s eastern Ouaddai province has left at least 20 people dead and 16 others injured over the past week, reigniting long-standing tensions between the Zaghawa and Ouaddai communities. The death toll has been confirmed on June 16 by parliamentary and local sources.
According to local sources, the unrest began last Tuesday after two armed Zaghawa youths allegedly stole a motorcycle from a member of the Ouaddai community, resulting in a deadly confrontation. The violence escalated on Saturday with an attack that left 12 more Ouaddai residents dead. Parliamentarians from the region have condemned the attacks and urged the government to take decisive action to ensure the safety of civilians.
Authorities, including the government’s provincial delegate, labelled the violence as terrorism, though they have yet to issue an official casualty count. Lawmakers have criticised what they perceive as government inaction and impunity for perpetrators, calling for greater accountability and security intervention. These clashes follow a pattern of decades-long intercommunal strife in eastern Chad, often fuelled by disputes between farming and herding communities over land and resources.
The Ouaddai-Zaghawa conflict mirrors broader instability across Chad, where ethnic and land-based tensions frequently erupt into violence. In November 2018, similar clashes claimed over a dozen lives near Abeche, while just last month, 42 people died in southwestern Chad during disputes between Fulani herders and Ngambaye farmers. The Chadian Human Rights Commission has condemned the latest killings and urged the government to implement robust measures to prevent further bloodshed.