Amnesty International has accused the Chadian government of failing to protect communities affected by recurring violent clashes between herders and farmers, saying authorities have not ensured victims’ rights to justice, truth, and reparations.
The rights organisation made the claim in a server report titled “Live off the land and die for it: Human rights violations in conflicts between herders and farmers in Chad,” which documents seven violent incidents across four provinces between 2022 and 2024. The clashes, largely fuelled by climate pressures and competition for natural resources, resulted in 98 deaths, over 100 injuries, and hundreds of families lost their homes and livelihoods. Thousands more have been affected over the years, according to UN data.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said Chadian authorities have consistently failed to respond promptly to warnings and violent outbreaks.
“Faced with recurring violence between herders and farmers, the authorities are failing to adequately protect the population. The security forces’ response is often delayed, and those suspected of killings, looting, and destruction of property are rarely brought to justice,” Callamard said, adding that the lack of accountability has deepened feelings of impunity and marginalization.
The report highlights how rising temperatures and shrinking grazing resources in central Chad—linked to human-induced climate change—have pushed herders southward in search of pasture. Simultaneously, farmers are expanding their farmlands, intensifying competition over land and water.
Amnesty documented several deadly incidents, including two attacks in Sandana, Moyen-Chari. In August 2019, a disagreement over cattle that strayed into farmland led to the killing of seven people, with eight others wounded and 140 cattle stolen. A similar attack in February 2022 left 13 people dead.
Another attack took place on 30 August 2024 in Pala Koudja, Logone Occidental, after repeated cattle trespasses triggered clashes that killed three people and injured seven. Later that night, 53 homes were burned by unidentified individuals.
The report says communities had repeatedly alerted local authorities about rising tensions, yet security responses often arrived too late. A community leader from Logone Oriental recounted how their village was attacked in 2023, leaving 18 people dead and 11 wounded.
“We were angry and laid the bodies on the road in protest,” he said, describing years of unaddressed complaints lodged with local officials.
Despite the existence of conflict-management structures, Amnesty found poor coordination, structural weaknesses, and compromised neutrality—especially where some local administrators reportedly entrust their cattle to armed herders.
Although some violent incidents have led to prosecutions, impunity remains widespread. Of the seven waves of clashes documented, only three resulted in trials, with 37 convictions recorded.
Callamard emphasised that Chad has clear obligations under regional and international human rights laws to ensure public safety, investigate crimes, prosecute those responsible, and guarantee access to justice for victims.
“With climate change intensifying pressure on land and resources, more clashes are inevitable unless structural and sustainable solutions are implemented,” she warned.
Amnesty International urged the government to strengthen law enforcement presence, pursue proactive disarmament, establish a coherent legal framework for transhumance, improve conflict-prevention committees, and swiftly implement a national climate-adaptation plan.