Dispute over water spirals into deadly reprisals, but government says situation is ‘under control’.

At least 42 people have been killed in eastern Chad after a dispute between two families over access to water escalated into reprisal attacks, according to Deputy Prime Minister Limane Mahamat.

Mahamat confirmed the total killed during a visit on Monday to the village of Igote. It is in Wadi Fira province, near the Sudanese border, where the violence started on Saturday.

He said 10 others were injured and transferred to a provincial health centre for treatment.

Mahamat said the violence spread across a wide area as retaliatory attacks intensified, prompting the army to intervene.

He added that a “swift response” by security forces helped contain the unrest and the situation is now “under control”.

Establishing responsibility

Authorities have launched “a customary mediation process” in the village and opened judicial proceedings to establish criminal responsibility, he said.

Intercommunal clashes linked to competition over land and water are common in Chad.

Fighting last year between farmers and herders in the southwest killed dozens and destroyed homes.

Mahamat said the government would take “all necessary measures” to prevent further instability in the eastern border region.

The violence comes as Chad faces mounting pressure from the war in neighbouring Sudan.

Eastern provinces have absorbed hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the conflict, further straining already limited resources.

In February, Chad closed its border with Sudan “until further notice”, citing concerns over fighters crossing into its territory and the threat of the conflict spilling over.

The war in Sudan has killed more than 40,000 people, according to United Nations estimates, though aid groups say the toll could be significantly higher.

The conflict has displaced at least 14 million people and triggered what humanitarian agencies describe as the world’s largest crisis, with famine conditions in parts of the country.