At least 42 people were killed and dozens more wounded over two days of intercommunal clashes in eastern Chad, with local sources warning the death toll could be significantly higher. The violence erupted on Saturday 25 April in the Dar-Tama department of Wadi-Fira province — a sparsely populated, semi-arid region bordering Sudan — and continued into Sunday, drawing in military forces and prompting a visit by senior government officials.
The clashes began with what appeared to be a minor dispute at a well in the village of Djourang, in the locality of Igot. A quarrel between women from the Tama and Zaghawa communities escalated sharply when a young man from one group allegedly shot and wounded a young woman from the other. In a context of longstanding and deeply rooted tensions between the two communities, the incident quickly spread across the area. Homes, shops, and entire villages were set ablaze during the two days of fighting. The violence also reached the Iridimi camp for Sudanese refugees, where at least six women were wounded and subsequently evacuated by authorities.
The Chadian army, which maintains a presence in the border zone, was rapidly deployed but was unable to prevent widespread destruction before the situation was brought under control. Chad's Vice-Prime Minister Limane Mahamat travelled to the area on Sunday morning, accompanied by the minister of armed forces and the army chief of staff, and declared that calm had been restored. He announced that a traditional mediation process would be put in place to help reconcile the communities.
The violence carries a regional dimension that is causing serious concern. Both the Tama and Zaghawa communities are parties to the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, which has been engulfed in a devastating civil war. The vice-prime minister stressed that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure that Sudan's war does not spill over into Chadian territory — a risk that aid organisations and regional analysts have long flagged given the porous border and the presence of hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees on Chadian soil.
The Wadi-Fira region has a history of intercommunal tension, and this latest outbreak underscores the fragility of local stability in an area already under strain from the humanitarian fallout of Sudan's conflict. With Sunday's death toll still unconfirmed and a mediation process only just beginning, the situation remains closely watched.