At least 25 people were killed and 22 injured on Friday in intercommunal clashes in southwestern Chad, the Chadian Ministry of Territorial Administration reported in a statement on Sunday.

Chad, considered by the UN as one of the African countries most vulnerable to climate change, is frequently affected by episodes of intercommunal violence, particularly in some rural areas where conflicts related to land, livestock and access to water sometimes take a deadly turn.

"At the origin of this conflict, a Kreda herder came to water his cattle in a pond in the Koula area, a dispute ensued between the Kreda herder and a (member of the ethnic group, editor's note) Kouka," a local MP explained to AFP.

"Following the dispute, Kreda took out his weapon and shot Kouka in the foot, which triggered a gun fight between the two communities; 22 injured people were taken to Ngoura hospital," according to the same elected official.

For now "the situation seems to be under control thanks to the intervention of the security forces", according to another local official contacted by AFP, who requested anonymity.

Following clashes that left "25 dead and 22 injured" between the two sister communities in the border area between the provinces of Hadjer-Lamis and Bahr El-Ghazal, 39 people arrested have been transferred to N'Djamena for further legal proceedings," the Ministry of Territorial Administration detailed.

A government delegation led by several ministers visited the site on Saturday.

This approach is part of "the measures taken by the Government to restore calm, protect the population and prevent any further escalation, while promoting dialogue between communities with a view to a lasting return to peace," the ministry said in its statement.

Inequalities between urban and rural areas in terms of access to water remain significant in this vast Central African country, and the issue of resource sharing is regularly a source of conflict.

According to the United Nations, less than 10% of households in the country had access to safe and continuous running water in 2024.

At the end of April, in the province of Wadi Fira (east), a dispute over a water well degenerated and left 42 dead and 10 injured.