Chad’s government announced on 1 November that fighting between the Kreda and Kouka communities had killed 25 people and wounded 22. The violence occurred on Friday, 30 October, in the Koula area; the injured were taken to hospital in Ngoura.
A local member of parliament told AFP that the confrontation began when a Kreda herder brought cattle to a pond and argued with a member of the Kouka community. According to the lawmaker, the herder shot the other man in the foot, triggering an exchange of gunfire between the communities. Responsibility for individual killings remains to be determined through the judicial process.
Security forces intervened, and a local official described the situation as largely under control. The government said 39 people had been arrested and moved to the capital for further proceedings. A ministerial delegation visited Ngoura on 31 October, led by Public Security Minister Ali Ahmat Aghabach and Decentralisation Minister Delegate Ahmat Oumar Ahmat. Authorities promised investigations, protection for residents and efforts to restart dialogue.
The confrontation combines a dispute over an essential shared resource with the availability of firearms. Researchers interviewed by RFI said weapons circulating among civilians and the rapid mobilisation of relatives by telephone and motorcycle can turn local arguments into much larger clashes. They advocated a national prevention effort involving the Republic’s mediation institution, rather than relying solely on deployments after violence erupts.
Pressure on rural livelihoods is also increasing. FEWS NET’s October assessment found that rainfall deficits had particularly damaged crops and pasture in Chad, adding to the strains caused by conflict, displacement and economic hardship. Those conditions increase the stakes around access to water and grazing, although they do not resolve who was responsible for the Koula violence.