N'DJAMENA: Fighting between rival ethnic groups over access to water in central Chad has killed at least 25 people and left 22 others wounded, the government said Sunday.
Chad, considered by the United Nations to be among the African countries most vulnerable to climate change, is regularly hit by deadly intercommunal clashes over water, land and livestock.
The violence erupted on Friday after an argument between a Kreda herder, who had brought his cattle to drink at a pond, and a member of the Kuka community, a local lawmaker told AFP.
"In the wake of the dispute, the Kreda got out his weapon and shot the Kuka's foot. That set off a gunfight between the two communities, with 22 injured people taken to the hospital in Ngoura," the department's capital, the politician added.
Security forces had since brought the situation largely under control, another local official told AFP.
The territorial administration ministry said Sunday that the violence left 25 dead and 22 injured in an area on the border between the Hadjer-Lamis and Bahr El-Ghazal provinces.
It added that 39 people had been arrested and transferred to the capital N'Djamena.
A government delegation led by several ministers visited the area on Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement that the visit formed part of "government efforts to restore calm, protect civilians, prevent further escalation and encourage dialogue between the communities".
Access to water remains highly unequal across the vast central African country, and disputes over scarce resources frequently spark violence.
According to the UN, fewer than 10 percent of households had reliable access to safe running water in 2024.
In April, a dispute over a water well in eastern Chad left 44 people dead and 10 wounded.