Amnesty International on Nov. 20 denounced authorities in Chad 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 said to be 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 claimed 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 land for large herds. In this néo-élevage (neo-pastoralism), the herds have absentee owners, who hire workers to drive the livestock rather than sharing in the semi-nomdaic way of life.

Amnesty called on Chadian authorities to take specific 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 & Political Rights and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human & 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.

As a landlocked country, Chad's economic activity is largely dependent on agricultural commodities like cotton and cattle, in addition to oil. As of 2021, agriculture supported around 88% of households nationwide. Extreme heat and flooding brought on by climate change have affected the country substantially in recent years.

From JURIST, Nov. 20. Used with permission.

Note: Herder-farmer violence has been increasingly linked to climate change across the Sahel, from Nigeria to the Horn of Africa.

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