Did you know that chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, are capable of waging war on each other? Well, this happened in the 1970s, in Gombe Stream National Park, in Tanzania, where a community of chimpanzees split into two rival groups and became involved in a violent conflict that lasted four years.

This episode became known as the Gombe Chimpanzee War, and was observed by the famous British primatologist Jane Goodall, who changed everything we knew about these animals.

It all started with a change of leadership in the Kasakela community, which lived in the park's central valley. In 1971, the alpha male Leakey died, and was succeeded by Humphrey, a chimpanzee from the north of the valley. Humphrey was a benevolent leader, who accepted younger males and did not intimidate them. However, he had two rivals: Charlie and Hugh, two brothers who lived in the south of the valley and who aspired to power. They began to move away from Humphrey and form an alliance with other southern males such as Godi, De, Goliath, and Sniff. Thus, in 1974, the Kasakela community fragmented into two: the Kasakela, led by Humphrey, and the Kahama, led by Charlie and Hugh.

From then on, the two groups became enemies, and began to fight over the territory and resources of the park. The Kasakela were more numerous, with eight males and twelve females, while the Kahama had only six males and three females. The Kasakela were also more united and cooperative, while the Kahama were more individualistic and disorganized. These differences meant that the Kasakela had the upper hand in the war, which began with a surprise attack on the Kahama in January 1974.

The first to die was Godi, who was ambushed and beaten by eight Kasakela while he was feeding alone. After him, other Kahama males were eliminated one by one, in brutal and merciless attacks. The Kasakela did not even spare the Kahama females and puppies, who were kidnapped, attacked and even killed. The Kahama, in turn, tried to resist, but were unable to defend themselves or counterattack. They also received no help from other chimpanzee communities, who lived isolated and indifferent to the conflict.

The war ended in June 1978, when the last Kahama male, Sniff, was killed by the Kasakela. As a result, the Kahama community was extinguished, and the Kasakela became the owners of the park. They expanded their territory south, but soon clashed with another community, the Kalande, who repelled them. The Kasakela also had to deal with new challenges, such as diseases, predators and human hunters, which threatened their survival.

The Gombe Chimpanzee War was a unique and shocking event that revealed previously unknown aspects of chimpanzee behavior. She showed that these animals are capable of planning, cooperating, deceiving, betraying and killing each other, just like humans. She also showed that they have a culture, politics and morals, which vary according to the group and context.

The war also raised questions about the causes and consequences of violence among primates, and about the similarities and differences between chimpanzees and humans. Some scientists have suggested that the war was caused by human intervention, which altered the ecological and social balance of the park. Others argued that warfare was a natural result of competition for resources and the evolution of chimpanzees. There is still much to discover about these fascinating animals, which teach us so much about ourselves.