Pastoral Conflict in Chad

Chad has been known by reputation as a home of bloody civil wars. Widespread of complex political issues have obscured form of conflicts. However, one of these bloody conflicts within the country known as pastoral conflict is also one of the violent conflicts within the country that seems to be ignored or not addressed by the government. One of the basic factors in conflict between pastoralists and farmers and among pastoralists in Africa is the access to natural resources. This is the case in Chad especially where the scarcity of resources is the main issue of the conflict. Since pastoralists straddle boundaries, fixing them in a specific location creates conflicts. This has made it difficult for pastoralists to pursue their desired style of life because of agricultural expansion. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons makes easy for pastoralists to access natural resources and therefore affects the intensity and duration of conflict. Thus, it encourages violence rather than a peaceful resolution of unsettled differences in pastoral communities. Based on the theoretical work on pastoral conflicts, this paper explores the causes of pastoral conflict. The paper describes the traditional relationship between pastoralism and the environment, and the rebellion within the country that underpin livelihood security. It identifies the circumstances that have led to pastoral conflict coming under threat and the resulting increase in conflict over natural resources. The paper discusses how rebel groups can influence pastoral conflict and the role of the government that can play in dealing with the conflict within the country. The opinion of the researcher is that there is a critical link between pastoral conflict and rebellion within the country. Thus, the possible escalation of these conflicts fuelled by the availability of small arms poses an immense threat to national security.