Fighting between Borana herders and the crop-growing Burji community kills at least 56 people in 2013. The violence is rooted in historic clan rivalries as well as competition for water and pasture in the arid region. Clashes between the two communities date back to the 1960s and are related to disputes over the use of political power to take control of water and fertile land.
Conflicts over water continue in Tanzania between farmers and herders over dwindling water resources. In 2013, herders attempt to take over the central water source in the village of Makenya.
Militias cut off water supplies to Tripoli for several days in continuing unrest in the country.
The Syrian civil war and the displacement of refugees into Jordan contribute to a growing water supply crisis. In summer 2013, riots associated with water shortages are reported by the director of water utilities in Jordan’s Mafraq governorate. He notes, “Mafraq was on fire. People burned tires in the street and closed the roads. There was tension over water in the past, but the Syria crisis has made it much worse.”
An Egyptian and Israel blockade of Gaza cut fuel supplies and causes a shutdown of Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants, leading to massive overflow of sewage.
The water supply for the city of Kitshanga, Congo is cut off in clashes between DRC armed forces and the Alliance des Patriotes pour un Congo Libre et Souverain (APCLS). The violence kills tens of civilians, including a humanitarian worker, wounds hundreds of people, and displaces thousands.
A car bomb thought to be targeted at a community water supply detonates near an aqueduct. No group claims responsibility, however Colombian officials attributed it to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
A water station in Bir al-Abd town is attacked. No one is reported injured or killed. The attackers claim that the water station was built on their lands.
Employees of the private company Assam Rifles are escorting a water tanker near the Manipur-Myanmar border when they are attacked with a remotely-detonated bomb. No one is reported injured, however the water tanker is damaged.
Four water project employees are kidnapped by assailants dressed as police officers. The outcome of the kidnapping is unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the incident.