ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s interior ministry on Sunday issued a stern warning against tribal conflicts and the practice known as “Degga” - a violent summon used to settle disputes - reaffirming that such acts are prosecuted under the country’s stringent anti-terrorism laws, state media reported.
The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted interior ministry Spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadli as describing tribal disputes as a “negative and uncivilized” phenomenon that undermines “societal peace and security” and is “rejected in all its forms.”
Bahadli said Iraqi security forces “are actively working to combat tribal conflicts, including what is known as the tribal Degga, emphasizing close coordination with the judiciary.” He cautioned that such acts are now categorized under Article 4 of Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005.
Traditionally, the Degga was a tribal custom used to signal the need to resolve disputes. In recent years, however, it has increasingly taken a violent form, with members of an aggrieved tribe gathering outside a rival’s home and firing weapons into the air. While not intended to kill, the act serves as an intimidation tactic demanding negotiations with tribal elders.
Article 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Law stipulates that anyone who intentionally conceals a terrorist act or provides shelter to a terrorist for the purpose of covering it up shall be sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 2018, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council ruled that Degga constitutes a terrorist act, as it is intended to spread fear and panic, involves violence or threats that endanger lives or property, and undermines societal security and stability.
The interior ministry spokesperson reaffirmed on Sunday that “anyone apprehended” for participating in tribal disputes or in the Degga, “is referred to the judiciary, which has the final rule under the law.