live off the land
and die for it

Understanding and acting against violence
between herders and farmers in Chad

read the entire report now

© Amnesty International

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A crisis ignored for too long

In Chad, families are grieving, villages are burned, and thousands of people are living in fear.

Clashes between herders and farmers continue to increase, fuelled by the effects of climate change, pressure on natural resources, and the proliferation of weapons.

Our new report reveals serious facts: people killed, homes destroyed, abandoned populations and authorities failing in their duty to protect as well as a lack of justice for the victims

The government of Chad must act now.

And you can contribute to the change.

Sign the petition to demand immediate protection and real justice

New report: “Live off the land and die for it”

Based on two years of investigation, three field missions and more than a hundred interviews with survivors, witnesses and key actors, this report shows how impunity and inaction by the authorities fuel a cycle of reprisals.

You will find in it:

• an in-depth analysis of the causes of the conflict;
• stories of inhabitants who have lost everything;
• the direct consequences of the State’s inaction;
• Clear recommendations to protect communities.

read the entire report in english

An illustrated campaign: understanding the crisis through 2D animation

To make visible the realities experienced by the affected communities, we produced a three-minute 2D animation.

This video recounts, in an accessible and human way, the experiences of affected families: burned villages, improvised exoduses, loss of crops, lack of support.

The 2D illustrations from this video give a symbolic face to the victims, while respecting their dignity and safety.

Act now

Between 2022 and 2024, the provinces of Moyen-Chari, Mandoul, Logone Oriental and Logone Occidental were hit by violent attacks between farmers and herders. In the cases documented by Amnesty International alone, nearly 100 people have been killed, families have been forced to flee and more than 600 homes have been burned.

Tensions are exacerbated by the scarcity of arable land and water points, climate degradation, and the uncontrolled flow of weapons.

But what makes this crisis so deadly is the inaction of the state.

In several documented cases, the security forces arrived too late. In others, they have not acted at all, leaving people unprotected during attacks.

<strong>Sign our petition to call on the government of Chad to act immediately.</strong>

Help us

Your voice can help obtain the effective protection of civilians, independent investigations into attacks, the prosecution of those responsible, as well as reparations for victims.

Your signature counts.

Your solidarity protects lives.

Share the campaign

Spread this page to share the video and the report as well as relay the petition. The more of us there are, the greater the pressure will be.

Sign the petition to demand change now

act today

Together, let make the voices of those who want to live off the land but not die for it heard.

© Amaury Hauchard/AFP via Getty Images

The post Live off the land and die for it appeared first on Amnesty International.

Responding to today’s decision by an Azerbaijani court to remand in custody prominent opposition leader Ali Karimli, following a raid on his home and his arrest by the State Security Service, Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“Ali Karimli’s detention is the latest outrage in the ongoing consolidation of authoritarian practices in Azerbaijan. There appear to be no limits to the government’s campaign to crush all political opposition and suppress all dissent in the country. While few are prepared to openly challenge the authorities, the decision to arrest an opposition leader, hold him incommunicado and press dubious charges of ‘attempted seizure of power’ against him, sends a chilling warning to anyone who may have doubts as to how far the Azerbaijani government is prepared to go.”

Ali Karimli’s detention is the latest outrage in the ongoing consolidation of authoritarian practices in Azerbaijan

Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“Authorities must release Ali Karimli unless they can demonstrate reasonable evidence of an alleged criminal offence. All they have demonstrated so far, by snatching and holding him incommunicado, and thus denying him his right to a fair trial, is their determination to take this wave of politically motivated arrests targeting opposition figures, academics, journalists and activists, even further.”

Background

On 1 December, the Sabayil District Court in Baku remanded Ali Karimli, chairman of the opposition Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) in pre-trial detention for two months and 15 days, under Article 278.1 of the Criminal Code (“actions aimed at the violent seizure of power” and “violent change of the constitutional order”). Authorities have connected him to a criminal investigation against Ramiz Mehdiyev, the former head of the presidential administration, who was charged in October with attempted “seizure of power,” “high treason” and the “legalization of property obtained by criminal means.”

Ali Karimli was detained on 29 November after security agents raided his home in Baku after which he was kept incommunicado for two days. Several other APFP members were also detained following searches, including Presidium member Mammad Ibrahim who has been held incommunicado since.

These arrests come amid an intensified crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan, where journalists, academics and opposition figures increasingly face harassment, arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions.

The post Azerbaijan: Arrest of opposition leader is further evidence of consolidation of authoritarian practices appeared first on Amnesty International.

Responding to the arrest of a Hong Kong student who launched a petition demanding government accountability following a deadly fire in the city’s Tai Po district, Luk Chi-man, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas, said:

“We extend our deepest condolences to the families of residents, workers, and firefighters who tragically lost their lives in the fire, and we wish a swift recovery for all those injured.

“Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire in Tai Po, rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions.

“Even as we mourn, we cannot ignore the need to bring justice to the affected families as well as to prevent as much as possible the reoccurrence of similar tragedies. We urge the Hong Kong authorities to establish the full facts of last week’s tragedy through a thorough, independent, impartial and open investigation, and to publicly clarify the cause of the fire, hold relevant persons accountable and release all findings without delay.

“As part of this comprehensive investigation, the government must fully and transparently assess whether any individual or government official demonstrated regulatory negligence or failures that contributed to the tragedy. It is essential that a thorough report reviewing any systemic and policy failures connected to this incident is produced.

“It is both a right and a duty for people in Hong Kong to demand this kind of accountability; but rather than recognize this, the Hong Kong authorities have instead chosen to silence those who raise their concerns and demands.

“Freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are human rights protected under international and Hong Kong law. The Hong Kong authorities must end the misuse of broadly defined ‘national security’ laws to target anyone – including those who engage in community-led support efforts or seek to disclose or report information in the public interest.

“A healthy society should not have only one voice. The authorities must ensure that all investigative and disaster relief efforts are conducted in a transparent and participatory manner. The initiatives of grassroots volunteers should be supported, and the views and needs of Hong Kong people must be fully taken into account.”

Background 

The Wang Fuk Court fire in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong broke out on 26 November and has claimed at least 146 lives.

On 29 November, an individual who launched a petition demanding accountability was arrested by national security authorities on suspicion of “sedition”, according to local media reports. The university student, who had urged the government to respond to “four demands” in the aftermath of the fire, was reportedly released on bail on 1 December.

Local media reported that another two people were arrested on 30 November on “sedition” charges in relation to the fire.

The post Hong Kong: Government must investigate and allow freedom of expression following deadly fire appeared first on Amnesty International.

Responding to today’s acquittal of 87 protesters on trial for their participation in mass protests which took place following the detention of Istanbul Mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, and yesterday’s acquittal of eight journalists and four lawyers charged in relation to the same demonstrations, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director EU, Balkans and Turkey, Dinushka Disanayake, said: 

“Whilst the acquittal of these 87 peaceful protesters, eight journalists and four lawyers is welcome, it does beg the question as to why they were put through this eight-month ordeal in the first place. 

The prosecutions of these protesters, journalists and lawyers should never have been brought

“Last March, hundreds of young people were detained and criminalized for protesting the detention and subsequent remand in pre-trial detention of Ekrem İmamoğlu. Amnesty International’s research into the policing of these mass protests found allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, including the targeting of journalists, by law enforcement officials during the demonstrations. 

“The prosecutions of these protesters, journalists and lawyers should never have been brought and the endemic misuse of the criminal justice system to crack down on dissent in Türkiye must end.” 

Background 

For information about Amnesty International’s research into the policing of the March protests see this public statement. 

Today’s decision hearing follows two previous trials which also recently ended with wholesale acquittals. 

Another hearing held today was that of 13 protesters prosecuted for ‘insulting the president’. The protesters have already spent almost three months in pre-trial detention between March and May this year. Their hearing was postponed to May 2026, with the court referring the file to be examined by the National Criminal Bureau to establish whether photographic evidence backs the claim against the individuals concerned. A lawyer representing the President was present at the hearing and requested that the court find the defendants guilty of the charge because ‘his honour had been damaged by the actions of the defendants.’ 

The post Türkiye: Misuse of criminal justice system to crack down on dissent must end following acquittal of 87 protesters, journalists and lawyers   appeared first on Amnesty International.

Responding to the Russian Supreme Court’s closed-door decision to designate the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF/FBK), founded by colleagues of the late prisoner of conscience Aleksei Navalny, a “terrorist organization,” Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said:

“The Kremlin’s long campaign against the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters has reached a stunning peak. By branding FBK a ‘terrorist organization’ in arbitrary court proceedings behind closed doors, the authorities are not only smearing and trying to erase Navalny’s legacy but they are also exposing tens of thousands of Russian citizens who have been associated with him over the past 15 years to the potential risk of prosecution. Posting a photograph of Navalny has already proven enough to trigger severe personal consequences; now it will guarantee arrest and imprisonment.”

The Kremlin’s long campaign against the late opposition leader Aleksei Navalny and his supporters has reached a stunning peak

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“The Russian authorities must stop weaponizing ‘anti-terrorism’ legislation to silence critics, they must reverse the ban on FBK, end the persecution of people allegedly linked to it and ensure an independent international investigation into Aleksei Navalny’s torture and other ill-treatment – and death – in custody.”

Background

On 27 November 2025, the Supreme Court granted the Prosecutor General’s Office’s request to recognise the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Inc., the US-registered successor of the banned Russia-based FBK, as a “terrorist organization.” The hearing was held behind closed doors, presided over by the same judge who had previously outlawed the non-existent “international LGBT movement” and “international satanism movement” as “extremist.”

FBK, founded by prominent opposition figure Aleksei Navalny in 2011, became well-known for its investigations of corruption in the Russian government and mobilizing popular support for its anti-graft campaigns. The Russian authorities banned the association in 2021 for being an “extremist organization,” and its alleged members and donors have faced unjust prosecutions.

The post Russia: Supreme Court’s ominous “terrorist” designation of Navalny’s Foundation threatens sweeping reprisals appeared first on Amnesty International.