A rare and violent phenomenon among chimpanzees has captured the attention of scientists at Kibale National Park in Uganda. Researchers have documented what they describe as a form of civil war among these primates, triggered by the division of a large community, resulting in lethal confrontations between individuals who once coexisted peacefully.
The study, led by Aaron Sandel from the University of Texas at Austin, was published in the journal Science on April 9, 2026, detailing the social dynamics of these animals.
The Ngogo chimpanzee community, which once numbered around 200 individuals, began to fragment in 2015, forming two distinct groups. By 2018, the last social connections between the groups had completely broken, initiating a series of deadly attacks during patrols along the territorial borders.
Since 2021, researchers have also documented cases of infanticide, intensifying the severity of the conflict. The exact causes of this aggressive division remain uncertain, but scientists point to possible factors such as the large size of the original group, competition for scarce resources, and changes in leadership hierarchy.
Additionally, a respiratory epidemic in 2017, which resulted in the death of 25 chimpanzees, may have contributed to the destabilization of social relationships within the community.
According to Live Science, the confrontations persist, with records of ongoing attacks over the past few years. Aaron Sandel highlighted that the study reveals how disruptions in social networks can lead to episodes of collective violence, even in contexts without human cultural influences such as ethnicity or religion.
This observation underscores the complexity of group dynamics among primates and offers insights into the mechanisms that regulate aggression in animal communities.
A notable point of the study is the comparison with bonobos, another primate species closely related to humans. Unlike chimpanzees, bonobos are known for their more peaceful nature and do not engage in lethal conflicts between groups, suggesting that lethal aggression is not an inevitable trait in primate evolution.
Researchers emphasize that the data collected in Kibale can help better understand the factors leading to the escalation of violence in animal communities, as well as shed light on the limits and possibilities of coexistence in fragmented social groups. Sandel and his team continue to monitor the situation in the park, seeking more precise answers about the origins and developments of this conflict.
Original published at O Cafezinho.