Around 100 people have died in clashes between gold miners in northern Chad, Defense Minister General Daoud Yaya Brahim said on Monday.

Violence broke out on May 23 at Kouri Bougoudi near the Libyan border, sparked by a "mundane dispute between two people which degenerated," he said, adding that the toll was "around 100 dead and at least 40 wounded."

The clashes occurred in the Tibesti Mountains, a rugged and lawless region in the central Sahara some 1,000 kilometers from the capital N'Djamena.

The discovery of gold there 10 years ago sparked a rush of miners from across Chad and neighboring countries, and tensions often run high.