Ugandan chimps split into two factions, then killed rivals

Intergroup violence predates human politics by millions of years, as a Ugandan chimpanzee troop proved when it splintered into two factions and one group killed its rivals. This stark observation comes from researchers who documented 21 lethal encounters over 18 months. The conflict proves that strategic infighting among social primates—including humans—is not a recent invention. The findings challenge the notion that peaceable primate societies are the norm, showing instead that lethal coalitionary aggression emerges naturally under resource pressure.