A Pact of Honor for the Tribes in Al-Ayadiyah Sub-District

Export agreement:

Country/entity: Iraq
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: A Pact of Honor for the Tribes in Al-Ayadiyah Sub-District
Date: 9 Aug 2018
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Iraq Wars and the Iraqi Insurgency (1989-1990) (2004 - )
In the aftermath of the Iraq-UN conflict following President Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1989, the UN enforced no-fly zones and set up a monitoring commission of the arms capacity of the Iraqi government. By the late 1990s, Iraqi officials had increased their resistance against the implementation of these programmes. In the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, the U.S. accused the Iraqi government of having weapons of mass destruction. In 2003, a U.S.-led coalition overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein, but failed to maintain security in the country as ex-Bathist and Islamist groups launched a counter-campaign. Violence reached a peak in 2006 as the conflict took on sectarian traits leading to mass human rights violations by domestic Sunni and Shi’a groups, as well as occupying forces. Despite the failure to stabilize the country, the U.S.-led forces withdrew in December 2011. Since then Iraq has effectively been split into three territories based on ethno-religious identity including the Shi’a in the south, the Kurds in the north, and a Sunni band in the middle, which is currently occupied by the organisation known as the Islamic State (formerly of Iraq and the Levant).
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Iraq Post-ISIS local agreements
Parties: Parties describe themselves as tribal leaders, elders, government representatives and security officials under the following titles:

Elders, tribal and community leaders of Al-Ayadiyah

Representatives of Higher Committee for Coexistence and Social Peace at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers

Local government in Nineveh Governorate and in Tal Afar District

(see in document images of signatory names in original language)
Third parties: Sanad for Peacebuilding organization

United States Institute of Peace (USIP)
Description: The agreement is part of wider process aiming to prevent violence at the local level and addresses the need to establish a system of justice while seeking to comprehensively take apart the region's affiliations to Islamic State. Provisions address the overall need to create conditions of coexistence between communities and local and central government in Al-Ayadiyah, adopting inter-tribal dialogue consultations and setting out facilitation for return of internally displaced persons and reaffirming the rule of law. Substantively the agreement also includes provisions which address victims and the families of victims of acts by ISIS, calling for justice in accordance with state laws and traditional tribal laws. The agreement also has extensive provisions addressing extremist use of media to encourage violence.

Agreement document: IQ_180809_A Pact of Honor for the Tribes in Al- Ayadiyah Sub-District.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Formal structured process
Rationale: The agreement is part of wider process aiming to prevent violence at the local level and addresses the need to establish a system of justice while seeking to comprehensively take apart the region's affiliations to Islamic State. Provisions address the overall need to create conditions of coexistence between communities and local and central government in Al-Ayadiyah, adopting inter-tribal dialogue consultations and setting out facilitation for return of internally displaced persons and reaffirming the rule of law.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: The process is focused on the local level.
Name of Locale: Al-Ayadiyah
Nature of Locale: City
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 36.500000, 42.500000
Participant type: Local state actor
Domestic religious organisation/leader or other elder
Local community/civilian group(s)/civil society organisations
Regional state actor
Mediator, facilitator or similar: Mediator or similar referred to
Mediator (references): https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/iraq-announcement-peaceful-coexistence-pact-honor-tribes-al-ayadiyah-sub-district
Type of mediator/facilitator/similar: Local community/civilian group(s)/civil society organisations

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): Page 2,
May Allah help us to serve our beloved country and our regions and pray to Allah to bless the souls of our martyrs, and the shame and humiliation to all those who supported terrorism and extremism in Iraq and the entire world.
Grievance List: Page 1,
...We herein announce the agreed principles, mechanisms and recommendations that guarantee the desired stability in Al-Ayadiyah, which has suffered from the criminal activities carried out by ISIS on large parts of our province in the middle of 2014 and previously by Al Qaeda and its agents since 2005. Our region witnessed the most heinous crimes against unarmed civilians, organized by the terrorist groups, who stood against their thoughts and behaviors, trying to sabotage the relations and bonds between Al-Ayadiyah people and those around them who have lived in peace and security for decades...
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: Page 2, Fourth:
To support and strengthen the rule of law and enable the judicial authorities to achieve justice and practice punishment on criminals belonging to terrorist organizations. To reveal criminals, and should any unrevealing occur, to ensure that they shall shoulder the legal consequences and tribal norms followed in those areas in accordance with the rule of law.

Page 2, Sixth:
The head of each tribe and sub-tribe shall provide information about ISIS affiliates, all those who cooperate with them and suspicious persons to the security authorities. Agreed regulations shall be considered on eliminating extreme Takfiri ideology and punishing the perpetrators.

Page 3, Eighth:
To prevent the return of any person who has been implicated in terrorist acts and his family members of the first degree, unless declaring their innocence before the courts provided that they are not supporters of terrorist organizations.

Page 3, Ninth:
To address the malicious and false allegations or those who use the security institutions to practice revenge against innocent people by accusing them of ISIS affiliation without the provision of evidence. They shall be held accountable by the security and tribal rule, and their names shall be published publicly.

A Pact of Honor for the Tribes in Al- Ayadiyah Sub-District We, the undersigned elders, tribal and community leaders of Al-Ayadiyah, the representatives of Higher Committee for Coexistence and Social Peace at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the local government in Nineveh Governorate and in Tal Afar District, have found ways to consolidate stability and social peace in Al-Ayadiyah.

A series of dialogues and meetings involving a wide range of tribal leaders, elders, government representatives and security officials were hold in order to reach a common ground and to identify agreement on principles and mechanisms that will help promote confidence and stability in the region.

We herein announce the agreed principles, mechanisms and recommendations that guarantee the desired stability in Al-Ayadiyah, which has suffered from the criminal activities carried out by ISIS on large parts of our province in the middle of 2014 and previously by Al Qaeda and its agents since 2005.

Our region witnessed the most heinous crimes against unarmed civilians, organized by the terrorist groups, who stood against their thoughts and behaviors, trying to sabotage the relations and bonds between Al-Ayadiyah people and those around them who have lived in peace and security for decades.

With the defeat of this criminal organization by the Iraqi army, the federal police, the Peshmerga, Hashid and volunteers from the tribes who were determined to get rid of the effects of that dark period and restore life to Al- Ayadiyah again, we as the elders, tribal and community leaders agree on the following articles to be the general and comprehensive framework of peaceful coexistence in Al-Ayadiyah sub-district.

With the endless support of Higher Committee for Coexistence and Social Peace/General Secretariat of the Council

of Ministers, and with the support of Sanad for Peacebuilding organization and its supporting international organization, which are highly appreciated, we sign our commitment to the following:

First:

To disavow ISIS and all criminal terrorist organizations and their members and affiliates who committed murder, displacement, kidnapping, incitement and threats and the looting of money from citizens and all crimes against the law.

Second:

To keep the state’s laws as priority and recognize that the laws of the state are above the tribal laws and to reject any individual or collective action to take revenge without reference to the judicial authority and the tribal laws adopted by the tribes in the area in accordance to the rule of law.

Third:

Solidarity with families of victims of terrorism and those affected by the crimes of terrorist organizations and to call for their rights and to reveal the fate of prisoners and abductees.

Fourth:

To support and strengthen the rule of law and enable the judicial authorities to achieve justice and practice punishment on criminals belonging to terrorist organizations.

To reveal criminals, and should any unrevealing occur, to ensure that they shall shoulder the legal consequences and tribal norms followed in those areas in accordance with the rule of law.

Fifth:

The Local Peace Committee in Tal Afar and the local community activist committees to adopt a solution to the problems behind wisdom and dialogue between individuals and groups for the post-ISIS era.

Sixth:

The head of each tribe and sub-tribe shall provide information about ISIS affiliates, all those who cooperate with them and suspicious persons to the security authorities.

Agreed regulations shall be considered on eliminating extreme Takfiri ideology and punishing the perpetrators.

Seventh:

Priority shall be given to national identity over other identities, emphasize coexistence and social peace, renounce all forms of violence and extremism, support and strengthen state institutions, commitment to moderate discourse and acceptance of the other.

Eighth:

To prevent the return of any person who has been implicated in terrorist acts and his family members of the first degree, unless declaring their innocence before the courts provided that they are not supporters of terrorist organizations.

Ninth:

To address the malicious and false allegations or those who use the security institutions to practice revenge against innocent people by accusing them of ISIS affiliation without the provision of evidence.

They shall be held accountable by the security and tribal rule, and their names shall be published publicly.

Tenth:

To renounce the extremist religious, political and media discourse that engenders violence;

counter seditious media, rumors and subversive propaganda;

monitor the performance of mosque preachers and Imams;

emphasize moderate discourse;

establish a committee of moderate and well-known clerics, local administrations and tribal sheikhs to select mosque preachers and abandon extremists in coordination with the security institutions - with the need to rehabilitate those who stood against extremism and provide them with educational and guidance courses to counter the response to suspicions and extremist thought.

Eleventh:

Work shall be done between the sons of Al-Ayadiyah and the sons of their surrounding tribes under the articles of this document taking into consideration their observations for their development.

May Allah help us to serve our beloved country and our regions and pray to Allah to bless the souls of our martyrs, and the shame and humiliation to all those who supported terrorism and extremism in Iraq and the entire world.

Therefore, we as sheikhs and elders of the region agree to sign below