The Dark but Sweet Times – Conflict in Georgia

This piece on the conflict in Georgia is the hardest piece I’ve had to write but it is part of Georgia’s history and soul and needs to be written.

In August 1992 simmering ethnic tensions in Abkhazia exploded into a 13th month war. It was sparked by the break up of the Soviet Union. The separatists sought independence from Georgia and wanted to retain their national identity. The Georgians wanted to stop their country being cut into pieces.

1989

In 1989, 17% of the population of Abkhazia were Abkhaz and 50% were ethnic Georgians. The Abkhaz separatist fighters were joined by ‘volunteers’ including Cossacks, mountain people, Chechens linked to Islamist terrorist groups and strengthened by Russian troops. A Human Rights Watch report states that Georgian criminals were released from prison in return for joining the fighting in Abkhazia.

There were certainly atrocities committed by both sides. Both sides attacked citizens, shelling, rocket attacks and looting. Bands of gunmen prowled, terrorising villages. There was complete lawlessness. Each side was trying to force the other ethnic group to leave the area. In the middle were stuck the innocent citizens. There were beatings, even of children, torture and executions.

Tens of thousands were killed and 250,000 people were displaced.

1993

In July 1993 a ceasefire was called and many Georgians assuming the conflict was over returned to their homes. In mid-Sept Abkhaz fighters broke the ceasefire and attacked the capital. This led to the Sukhumi massacre. Men, women and children were executed in the street, there were sadistic rapes, many were tortured and some were forced to watch as their children or parents were killed. The witness reports I read from this made me cry. They also reminded me of some of the things I saw and heard when I was in the conflict in Bosnia on an aid convoy. While mine and the world’s focus was on the war in the former Yugoslavia these atrocities were happening in Georgia.

Soon the forces overran the whole territory. The defeats of the Georgian government forces was followed by the ethnic cleansing of the Georgian people and 50% of the population becoming refugees. Abkhazia was shunned by the international community. It became reliant on Russian tourism and Russian handouts.

Sophie’s Story

It also became personalised for me. Our guide Sophie is from Abkhazia. She was 10 and, her sister 5 when the conflict began. Initially she wasn’t there when the fighting broke out as she was visiting her grandmother in another region. She went back when they thought the fighting had stopped. Of course it re-started. Sophie, her mother and little sister were rounded up along with many others and taken to the local school hall. They only managed to escape due to an old man who was a friend of her father. He smuggled the family out and hid them at his house. If he’d been discovered he, would have, been killed. Sophie was only a child then. She’s, tried to find the man since through social media, to thank him, but with no luck. He was elderly then and may no longer be alive. He quite possible saved their lives.

Sophie and her family like the other hundreds of thousands of refugees lived in Sanatorium or school halls before the government built social housing for them. We some of the Sanatoriums used as well as social housing complexes built for refugees. Some of the Sanatoriums are now empty and dilapidated, others are being restored and tourists returning. But not the Russians, the train tracks from where use to run the direct train to Moscow are now rusting.

The Dark but Sweet Times

Those times are known as the ‘dark but sweet times’. They were horrific times and people had lost so much but there was a fantastic camaraderie with everyone sharing what little they had. I imagine it was similar to the spirit in Britain during the war. Many refugees went to Tbilisi where the local population welcomed them and donated whatever they could to make their lives easier.

2008

On August 7th 2008 while the world’s attention was, focused on the Beijing Olympics Russia invaded Georgia. The war lasted for 5 days, hundreds were killed and many villages destroyed. Homes were looted and houses set on fire. The city of Gori was occupied, effectively splitting the country in 2 and stopping the movement of people. A ceasefire was brokered by a EU delegation led by Nicolas Sarkozy. Russia violated this and declared South Osetia and Abkhazia independent states. This was condemned world wide. Now apart from Russia only 4 countries recognise the independence of these 2 states: Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Syria. Nauru received $51 million in aid from Russia. Venezuela received a $2.2 billion loan to purchase Russian arms. In 2016 the International Criminal Court launched a probe into possible war crimes committed during the conflict. It is ongoing.

The European Union

Georgia has applied to join the European Union. I hope with all my heart that this happens, although think it unlikely. Georgia is an independent country with a very unique identity, culture and language. I fell in love with this country. The people of Georgia deserve a period of prosperity and peace with no conflict and that is my toast. Gaumerjos.

Concluding Thoughts

The world turned its back on Georgia and ignored what was happening, as it did in the Ukraine and the Crimea. We said all the right things but did nothing. Georgian’s shouldn’t have to keep living in fear. Russian tanks are only 30kms from Tbilisi. The border keeps creeping gradually forward. Too many lives were lost, too many people displaced. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen again.

To read about my times in Georgia, please visit my Georgia page.