When the well runs dry
As the water evaporates in their overheated world, crop farmers and livestock herders in Chad are spilling blood instead.
Mahamat Saleh in N’Djamena
At least 26 people were injured last week when a dispute about a well turned violent in Goskoro, a rural community north of Mao in western Chad. This confrontation was just the latest in a growing wave of deadly conflicts between farmers and herders over such water points, which serve as critical lifelines for both communities. Less than two weeks earlier, another fight over a well in a neighbouring province left about 30 people dead.
The violence has provoked criticism of the government. Senator Albert Pahimi Padacké accused authorities of ignoring repeated warnings, arguing the government “sees nothing and says nothing, showing … blindness in the face of the people’s suffering.
Further south, fighting between farming and herding communities earlier this month in Babalao killed four people and displaced several others who were forced to flee to nearby villages. Senior provincial officials travelled to the affected area shortly afterwards to reinforce security and encourage residents to return.
That same day, a separate clash was reported in Ngoura, southern Chad, which left 33 people dead. That confrontation, also sparked by competing claims to an old well, left dozens of people injured. Some of them were taken to hospitals in the capital, N’Djamena.
These incidents share a common trigger: increasingly strained access to land and water. Analysts warn that as rainfall becomes more erratic and pastoral routes narrow, disputes over basic resources are escalating faster than authorities can mediate them. Local leaders are urging the government to prioritise long-term water management and boost security in the area to prevent further violence.