Chechnya announces reconciliation of families involved in blood feud after fatal car accident
Chechnya’s Muftiate has announced the resolution of a blood feud between a Chechen family and another from Daghestan which began after a fatal car accident in 2024.
The reconciliation ceremony took place in the Chechen village of Starye Atagi on Sunday.
According to the Chechen Muftiate, the conflict between the two families began after a car accident claimed the life of Chechen resident Anzor Gamaev in 2024. Daghestani native Ali Magomedov was identified as the driver who killed Gamaev.
In a statement published on the muftiate’s Telegram channel, it was noted that members of Magomedov’s family travelled to the village to offer their apologies to the family of the deceased.
‘The relatives found the strength to forgive a blood enemy and agree to reconciliation,’ the statement read.
The ceremony was attended by the deputy mufti of Chechnya and representatives of the commission for reconciliation of feuding parties. The muftiate emphasised that the initiative was carried out ‘with the participation of clergy, respected community members, and public figures’.
The Muftiate of Daghestan has not commented on the reconciliation as of publication.
The authorities in Chechnya regularly report on similar reconciliations.
The Chechen Muftiate’s commission for national reconciliation was established in 2011, following the dissolution of a similar body that had operated under the republic’s Head Ramzan Kadyrov. At the time, Kadyrov declared the commission redundant, but the next day the muftiate announced the creation of a new one tasked with facilitating reconciliation between feuding families.
Residents of Chechnya who have dealt with the commission have noted that reconciliations often take place under pressure. In 2007, when the active phase of reconciling blood feuds began, the muftiate and authorities were said to have imposed such reconciliations.
Despite official statements about combating the custom of blood revenge, in 2024 Kadyrov called on Daghestan Senator Suleyman Kerimov, MP Bekhan Barakhoev, and Rizvan Kurbanov to prove they were not involved in an alleged assassination plot against him, warning that he was prepared to declare a blood feud. In 2019, one of Kadyrov’s closest allies, Magomed Daudov, declared blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov his blood enemy over comments made about Akhmat Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov’s father and predecessor.
The tradition of blood revenge remains present in parts of the North Caucasus. The custom dates back to clan-based societies and required relatives of a victim to take revenge on the perpetrator or their family. In modern times, this practice continues despite conflicting with state criminal law.
Shota Kincha
