The Chadian Human Rights Commission has condemned the recent killings in Ouaddai province, eastern Chad, according to local officials and members of parliament.
In a statement issued to AFP, 14 lawmakers from Ouaddai—many of whom are aligned with the ruling party based in the capital, N’Djamena—strongly denounced the violence and urged the government to bolster security for affected communities.
Ismael Yamouda Djorbo, the government’s representative in the region, visited the area and described the unrest as “terrorism,” though he did not provide a death toll.
According to a local source who requested anonymity, the conflict began last Tuesday after two armed youths from the Zaghawa ethnic group allegedly stole a motorcycle belonging to a member of the Ouaddai community. The incident quickly escalated into an armed confrontation that left eight people dead, including the two accused thieves.
Tensions flared further on Saturday when Zaghawa assailants reportedly launched another attack, killing at least 12 people from the Ouaddai community.
Yacine Abdraman Sakine, a local MP, expressed outrage at what he described as unchecked violence: “We strongly denounce the impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators of these crimes in Ouaddai province. The authorities remain strangely silent in the face of these deadly conflicts.”
Eastern Chad, which shares a volatile border with Sudan, has long been afflicted by communal disputes. These frequently erupt between indigenous Ouaddai people, primarily farmers, and nomadic Arab or Zaghawa herders competing over land and resources.
This latest violence follows a similar deadly incident in November 2018 near the provincial capital, Abeche, where over a dozen people lost their lives.
The Ouaddai massacre also comes less than a month after 42 people were killed in Mandakao, in the country’s southwest, following clashes over land use between Fulani herders and Ngambaye farmers.
