Twelve people have been killed in clashes between herders and farmers in southern Chad, where ethnic friction over land is common, the authorities said Friday.

"A herder who was moving his animals was killed by farmers on Wednesday and in reprisal, herders armed with guns killed 11 farmers," the governor of Moyen-Chari province, Ali Ahmat Akhabach, told AFP by phone.

The incident took place on Wednesday in the village of Sandana, about 550 kilometers south of the capital N'Djamena, he said.

"The toll is 12 dead, and several armed people were arrested," Ahmat Akhabach said. "The situation is currently under control."