Les boulamat et les conflits fonciers en milieu urbain Tchadien: cas du premier arrondissement de la ville de N’Djamena

Abstract

The topic of our research is "The Boulamat and land conflicts in Chadian urban areas: case of the first district of the city of N’Djamena”. The choice of this subject was motivated by the resurgence of tensions observed between the "Boulamat" and other actors over land. Moreover, of the numerous existing literatures on land conflicts (LAMBITAM: 2004, HOUDEINGAR: 2012, MOUPOU et al. 2010, DONG MOUGNOL et al 2010, LEUMAKO NONGNI: 2015, NJOYA NDAM 2021), very little explores the interference of traditional chiefs in land conflicts. The question that guided our analysis was formulated as follows: How can we understand and explain the fact that the "Boulamat", who are supposed to establish peace and harmony among the populations, become the instigators of tensions over land? In other words, how can we account for the actions of the "Boulamat" on land? To answer this question, we have formulated the following hypothesis: The increase in land disputes observed in Chad's urban areas stems from land speculation organized by the "Boulamat. In reality, the "Boulamat", who are responsible for the management and distribution of lineage land, use their position to monopolize it for commercial purposes. This inevitably provokes contentious reactions and sharp tensions. Our methodological approach was particularly inspired by two main theoretical frameworks of analysis, namely: the symbolic interactionism of H. BLUMER and the strategic actor of M. Crozier. The first one seemed interesting to us insofar as it allowed us to realize that the social reality is revealed in the exchanges between the different actors, notably the "Boulamat" and the mass. The second, on the other hand, allowed us to understand the social actor as a subtle strategist who uses his position to satisfy his interests. To gather the field material, we mobilized group discussions, interviews and questionnaires. The results of this study show that the increase in urban land disputes in N’djamena, is maintained by the "Boulamat" who take advantage of their status to informally sell land belonging not only to the community, but also to the State.