Amnesty International on Thursday denounced Chad authorities for their failure to protect victims of armed clashes between herders and farmers.
The group documented seven instances of herder-farmer violence in four provinces between 2022 and 2024, which resulted in 98 people dead, at least 100 injured, and 600 left without homes or sources of income.
The clashes, concentrated in southern Chad, are reportedly driven by climate change, population growth, and an influx of weapons and support from armed groups in the neighboring Central African Republic. Researchers stated that higher temperatures, desertification, and shrinking pasturelands in the center of the country have led herders to travel longer distances and settle in southern provinces where conditions are more conducive to livestock grazing.
At the same time, Amnesty found that farmers, who face declining soil fertility and seek to expand cultivated areas, often encroach on herders’ corridors and limit access to pastures and water. Many clashes, like one in Sandana in February 2022, began with the intrusion of herders’ cattle onto an agricultural plot, leading to fighting between the groups.
The report additionally stated that conflicts are fueled by the emergence of “neo-herders”—military leaders and entrepreneurs who buy large herds.
“The cause of conflict is access to resources: water, land, agriculture. Everything is disputed. There are provocations on both sides,” interviewed experts explained.
Amnesty called on Chadian authorities to take preventive and protective measures to guarantee respect for the right to life in accordance with obligations under Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
Although recently implemented consultation and negotiation mechanisms have been effective to an extent, Amnesty argued several structural limitations impede potential resolutions. The group urged officials to develop a coherent legal framework accounting for climatic and demographic realities, revive joint committees composed of both herders and farmers, and prioritize climate change adaptation plans.
Researchers outlined other key recommendations, such as providing weapon-controls and individual-access to the ACHPR. Moreover, the report urged judicial authorities to launch impartial investigations into violent cases between farmers and herders, ensuring victims participate in legal proceedings and receive appropriate reparations.
As a landlocked country, Chad’s economic activity is largely centered on agricultural commodities like cotton and cattle, as well as oil. As of 2022, agriculture supported around 88 percent of households nationwide. Extreme heat and flooding brought on by climate change have affected the country substantially in recent years.
Earlier this year, Chad’s crackdown on political dissent came under international scrutiny, as an opposition leader was arrested for his alleged involvement in political violence on May 14. In October, a rights group condemned Chad’s controversial constitutional reform.
