Fighting in southwest Chad kills at least 35 people

A "violent clash" in southwest Chad has killed 35 people, the government said on Thursday, without giving details on who was involved.

A dispute between ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and local Ngambaye farmers over the demarcation of grazing and farming areas in the village of Mandakao is believed to be at the heart of the conflict, according to a local source.

Communication minister and government spokesperson Gassim Cherif Mahamat said six people were also wounded in the clash on Wednesday in the region of Logone-Occidental.

"This tragic clash caused the death of 35 people and six wounded," he said.

Situation brought 'under control'

"The defence and security forces quickly intervened and managed to bring the situation under control," he added.

Clashes frequently break out in southern Chad, where Christian and animist communities complain of being marginalised by the mostly Muslim central government.

The violence often involves nomadic Muslim herders and largely Christian or animist Indigenous sedentary farmers.

Conflicts between pastoralists and sedentary farmers are estimated by the International Crisis Group to have caused more than 1,000 deaths and 2,000 injuries between 2021 and 2024.