War in Abkhazia (1992-1993)

The War in Abkhazia was fought in 1992 and 1993 between Georgian government and paramilitary forces and a coalition of Abkhaz separatist forces and North Caucasian militants, with Russian military support for the separatists. It followed years of tension over the status of Abkhazia inside Georgia, from the Lykhny Appeal of 1989 to a war of laws between rival legislatures, and the fighting began when Georgian National Guard units led by Tengiz Kitovani entered Abkhazia in August 1992. Significant human rights violations were reported on all sides, and the Abkhaz capture of Sukhumi on 27 September 1993 was followed by a large-scale campaign of ethnic cleansing against ethnic Georgians. A UN fact-finding mission reported serious violations by both Abkhazians and Georgians; about 5,000 ethnic Georgians and 4,000 Abkhaz were reported killed or missing and 250,000 Georgians became displaced. Abkhazia became a de facto independent republic, while Georgia kept control of the upper Kodori Valley.