1998 Gali clashes

Ethnic conflict in Georgia 1998 Gali clashes the Abkhazia conflict File:United Nation Abkhazia small.PNG 300px UNOMIG map of the conflict region 18–26 May 1998(1998 5 18 1998 5 26) Gali District See Aftermath Abkhazia Georgia 1990n paramilitaries White Legion Mkhedrioni Forest Brothers Vladislav Ardzinba Sergei Bagapsh Zurab Samushia (White Legion) Dato Shengelia (Forest Brothers) Gujar Kurashvili 1,500 troopsBahcheli Tozun De Facto States: The Quest For Sovereignty 2004 Psychology Press 151 9780203485767 https://books.google.com/books?id=uIbah-giC0EC&q=abkhazian+1998+war&pg=PA151 400 guerrillasJune 2024 Abkhazia:http://okopka.ru/t/tatarchenkow_o_n/text_0030.shtml Okopka.ru: Татарченков Олег Николаевич. Рикошет (записки военного корреспондента) okopka.ru8 killed17 woundedGeorgian sources:http://www.cpirs.org.ge/Archive/AS_05_98.pdf The Army and Society in Georgia May 1998 cpirs.org.ge 2007-09-27 2009-03-26 https://web.archive.org/web/20090326154505/http://www.cpirs.org.ge/Archive/AS_05_98.pdf dead 300+ killeddozens wounded Georgian sources:17 killed24 wounded56 captured6 missingAbkhazia:160 killed 35 Georgian civilians killed30,000–40,000 displaced The 1998 Gali clashes took place in the Gali district of Abkhazia, after ethnic Georgians launched an insurgency against the Abkhazian separatist government. The conflict is sometimes referred to as the Six-Day War of Abkhazia; however, this name only takes into account the Abkhazian offensive that lasted from 20 to 26 May 1998, while hostilities and insurgent attacks had already occurred before that date.https://mondediplo.com/1998/12/10georgia Ethnic conflict in Georgia Vicken Cheterian December 1, 1998 Le Monde diplomatique Timeline In the eighteen months prior to the war, Georgian paramilitary forces systematically attacked both Russian peacekeeping troops and the Abkhazian military.Fuller Liz Loose Cannons in Abkhazia https://www.rferl.org/a/1342032.html 4 August 2016 Caucasus Report 8 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 21 April 1998 1 In the beginning of May, 300 fighters from the Georgian paramilitary White Legion crossed into Abkhazia, whereupon the Abkhazian government placed its military on combat alert.Fuller Liz Georgia to become 'asymmetric federation?' https://www.rferl.org/a/1141652.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 11 May 1998 The White Legion was said to have received orders from Tamaz Nadareishvili, head of Georgia's government in exile for Abkhazia and member of Georgia's Security Council.Fuller Liz Abkhaz offensive ruins peace prospects https://www.rferl.org/a/1141665.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 28 May 1998 In addition, Tornike Berishvili, a leader of the Mkhedrioni, declared on 27 May that 100 of its men had also fought in Abkhazia.Fuller Liz Controversial Georgian Paramilitary Organization Still Active https://www.rferl.org/a/1141665.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 28 May 1998 According to Georgian sources, on 2 and 3 May Georgian forces gained control of the villages of Saberio, near the Inguri Dam, and Khumushkuri, and killed six Abkhazian soldiers when Abkhazian forces tried to retake the two villages.Have Georgian guerrillas seized ground in Abkhazia. Monitor 85 Jamestown Foundation 4 May 1998 4 On 12 May, Georgian MP Germane Patsatsia announced that he was resigning to join the Georgian guerillas in Abkhazia who he claimed had seized control of Gali District.Fuller Liz Georgian Parliamentary Deputy Quits to Join Guerrillas https://www.rferl.org/a/1141654.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 13 May 1998 On 18 May, Georgian forces killed about twenty Abkhazian policemen in a surprise attack in the village of Repi.Fuller Liz More guerrilla clashes in Abkhazia https://www.rferl.org/a/1141658.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 19 May 1998 The next day, Abkhazian troops carried out reprisal attacks, resulting in ten to thirty deaths and causing Georgian residents to flee across the border.Fuller Liz Georgians flee as Abkhaz fighting intensifies https://www.rferl.org/a/1141660.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 21 May 1998 The following days saw minor, sporadic clashes as the Abkhazian Interior Ministry sent 800 more men into Gali District. Abkhazian forces were reported to set fire to Georgian homes.Fuller Liz Situation on Georgian-Abkhaz border remains tense https://www.rferl.org/a/1141661.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 22 May 1998 On 22 May, the two sides signed a cease-fire agreement in Tbilisi, which was broken that same day when fighting broke out in the village of Tskhiri, killing four people. The next three days saw fierce fighting, with ITAR-TASS reporting the death of 40 Abkhazian soldiers, 4 Georgian soldiers and more than 20 Georgian civilians.Fuller Liz Abkhaz fighting continues... https://www.rferl.org/a/1141662.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 25 May 1998 On 25 May, the Georgian and Abkhazian foreign ministers signed another cease-fire agreement in Gagra, set to take effect at 6:00 the following day, but fighting continued.Fuller Liz Abkhaz fighting continues, despite cease-fire agreement https://www.rferl.org/a/1141663.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 26 May 1998 On the night of 26 to 27 May, Abkhazian forces expelled the last Georgian guerillas.Fuller Liz Abkhaz Expel Georgian Guerrillas From Gali https://www.rferl.org/a/1141664.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 27 May 1998 Georgia's opposition blamed President Eduard Shevardnadze for losing the war by not supporting the guerillas with the Georgian Military.Fuller Liz Georgian Opposition Blames Shevardnadze for Defeat https://www.rferl.org/a/1141666.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 29 May 1998 Shevardnadze declared that one of the reasons he had not sent in the military was it was not combat-ready.Fuller Liz Georgian Army "Not Combat-ready" https://www.rferl.org/a/1141669.html 4 August 2016 Newsline Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 3 June 1998 Aftermath The 1998 hostilities in the Gali district fundamentally destabilized the region and altered the trajectory of the Abkhaz–Georgian peace process. Following several days of intense combat, a ceasefire protocol was signed in Gagra on 25 May 1998 by Georgian Foreign Minister Irakli Menagharishvili and Abkhaz representative Sergei Shamba. The agreement, which was also signed by the United Nations special envoy and the commander of the CIS peacekeeping forces, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of Abkhaz reinforcements, and the safe return of refugees to the Gali raion.Fuller Liz Caucasus Report: May 26, 1998 https://www.rferl.org/a/1342037.html 2024-05-22 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 26 May 1998 1 13 Despite the protocol, the ceasefire failed to take effect on schedule on 26 May. The Georgian leadership, including President Eduard Shevardnadze, disclaimed official jurisdiction over partisan groups such as the White Legion and the Forest Brothers, which complicated efforts to ensure their compliance with the truce. While Abkhaz authorities claimed to have neutralized these guerrilla forces, ongoing skirmishes suggested that the security situation remained volatile. The conflict resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis as between 30,000 and 40,000 ethnic Georgian civilians, many of whom had only recently returned following the 1992–1993 war, were forced to flee Gali for the second time.Background Notes: Georgia https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/eur/rls/fs/53745.htm U.S. Department of State 2024-05-22 Reports from the period indicated that dozens of civilians were killed and approximately 1,500 houses were burned during Abkhaz "sweep operations" against local villages. This mass displacement created a powerful new pressure group within Georgian domestic politics, further complicating Shevardnadze's position. The reputation of the Russian-led CIS peacekeeping force was significantly damaged by the events. Allegations surfaced among the Georgian public and officials that the peacekeepers had either actively supplied Abkhaz forces with heavy artillery or failed to intervene to protect Georgian civilians. These accusations led to renewed demands from the Georgian opposition for the withdrawal of Russian troops. Ultimately, the 1998 clashes stripped the Abkhaz leadership of incentives to compromise on the region's political status, further entrenching the diplomatic stalemate between Tbilisi and Sukhumi. Further reading Aaron Belkin, United We Stand?; Divide-and-Conquer Politics and the Logic of International Hostility State University of New York Press, 2005. References Category:1998 in Abkhazia Category:1998 conflicts Category:Abkhaz–Georgian conflict Category:May 1998 in Asia