Representatives from Chad’s Ngambaye and Fulbe communities have signed a formal peace agreement in the town of Mandakao, in the country’s troubled western region, marking a significant step toward ending intercommunal violence that left dozens dead earlier this year.
The peace accord, signed and submitted to Prime Minister Succes Masra during an official ceremony on July 8, comes after a wave of violence erupted in May 2025 between members of the two communities over long-standing tensions surrounding land use, grazing rights, and local property disputes.
The ceremony, held in Mandakao, was attended by senior government officials, traditional leaders, and religious authorities, all of whom welcomed the agreement as a symbol of renewed dialogue and national unity. Many praised the initiative for prioritizing peaceful conflict resolution over retaliatory violence.
According to local authorities, the May clashes claimed dozens of lives, left scores injured, and caused extensive destruction to homes, livestock, and farmland. The violence once again exposed the fragile stability of the Logone Occidental region, where ethnic disputes frequently escalate into full-blown confrontations in the absence of robust local governance and mediation mechanisms.
Practical Measures for Lasting Peace
The signed agreement includes a set of concrete measures aimed at preventing future outbreaks of violence. These include:
• The establishment of local intercommunity dialogue committees to mediate disputes.
• The development of early warning and rapid response mechanisms to de-escalate tensions.
• A mutual commitment by both parties to renounce any future acts of aggression and to respect shared access to natural resources.
Prime Minister Masra, who personally received the agreement during the ceremony, hailed the initiative as a model for local reconciliation efforts across Chad. In his remarks, he emphasized that peace must be built on more than just signatures.
“Reconciliation must take root in hearts as well as actions,” Masra said. “It is not enough to speak of peace—our communities must live it every day through cooperation and mutual respect.”
Broader National Implications
The Mandakao peace accord is being seen as a key milestone in Chad’s ongoing national reconciliation agenda, which has been championed by the transitional government amid a challenging political and security environment.
Tensions between nomadic and sedentary communities in Chad have historically centered on disputes over land and access to water and pasture, particularly in areas where state institutions are weak and climate pressures have intensified competition for resources.
Officials say they hope the Mandakao model can be replicated in other regions facing similar challenges, particularly as the country prepares for constitutional and electoral reforms in the lead-up to expected national elections.
Human rights organizations and civil society groups in Chad have cautiously welcomed the agreement, while calling on the government to ensure ongoing support, monitoring, and implementation of the peace measures to prevent a relapse into violence.
As one traditional leader put it during the ceremony:
“We must choose the path of dialogue today so that our children may live in peace tomorrow.”
