Researchers document 'civil war' among Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda

A 30-year study of Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda's Kibale National Park documents a community split into two factions. One faction then carried out 24 coordinated attacks against the rivals, killing members of the opposing group. Researchers recorded those attacks as organized, repeated campaigns that excluded and eliminated rivals from territory and social access. The findings change understanding of primate social behavior, showing chimpanzees can wage sustained lethal intergroup violence and altering conservation and evolutionary perspectives.