Photo: Michael Goldwater
At the beginning of 1992, the civil war started in Georgia. Jaba Ioseliani and "Mkhedrioni" led the war. They ousted president Zviad Gamsakhurdia and appointed Eduard Shevardnadze as their successor. By that time, it was possible to travel from Tbilisi by rail not only to Abkhazia, but also to the Russian Federation. In 1992, the situation on the railways became out of control. Robbing trains, blowing up rails was no stranger At the beginning of 1992, the civil war started in Georgia. Jaba Ioseliani and "Mkhedrioni" led the war. They ousted president Zviad Gamsakhurdia and appointed Eduard Shevardnadze as their successor. By that time, it was. According to official state data, the loss amounted to 9 billion rubles. Eduard Shevardnadze decided to impose special rules
As Netgazeti writes: On August 15, 1992, the the first parge of the newspaper “Republic of Georgia” was written: "Georgian Armed Forces entered Abkhazia only to put an end to the armed gangs in the western regions of Georgia, who carried out another sabotage last night – they exploded the railway bridge." "Unfortunately, during this operation, there was a clash between the units of the National Army and the Abkhazian Guard. There are victims, there are wounded."
On August 14, 1992, Georgian National Guard units entered Abkhazia with the support of the Navy and Air Force. Both military personnel and volunteers took part in the attack. The Georgian side could not compete successfully at the beginning of the war. They were unable to occupy almost all the key locations as opposing forces blew up the Enguri Bridge. The war between Georgia, Abkhazia and Russia lasted for about a year.
On September 27th, 1993, Georgia was defeated.
Unresolved Conflict of Abkhazia and its IDPs
Based on the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories Georgia has more 220,000 registered IDPs. They were forced to leave their homes during secessionist conflicts in the early 1990s. Majority of them fled two break-away regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia immediately after losing the Abkhazia war. After the 2008 Georgia-Russia conflict the number of IDPs increased by 26,000. These conflicts in total displaced around 300,000 persons which equal 6% percent of Georgian population.
Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Georgia’s declared its independence only in 1991. Thus, not even after a year conflicts unfolded between ethnic Georgians and Abkhazians. 1990s were especially hard on ethnically Georgian IDPs as they were forced to leave behind everything they owned and flee to the unknown. We should take into consideration that after the disintegration of Soviet Union – Georgian economy totally collapsed which means it had no state welfare benefits, aid or any single benefit to help the IDPs. Hundreds of thousands of people were on their own with no help of state. Many of the IDPs decided to go to the capital of Georgia – Tbilisi in hope of better.
Photo: Michael Goldwater
“We are still living in fear of eviction, some of the land is still not lawfully ours but owned by the state, if they decide they can expel us from here for the second time."
Murmani added: “Every time when there are elections, they promise us to give us these lands but it becomes another false promise.” Since fleeing thousands of families like Tina and Murmani living in limbo and confusion but with the hope that someday they might go back to Abkhazia to their homes.
Nino (name is changed, she asked for anonymity, because it is very sensitive topic for her) was 21 years old when the conflict started. As she says at first no one could believe that Abkhazia would fall. In September 1993 she even returned to Sokhumi with her mother, to continue studying at the University of Sokhumi. But suddenly separatist attacks started. Situation was getting worse and worse and they decided to leave the city: ,,Me and my mother tried to leave the city by airplane, we were standing in front of the airplane when they closed the door, because there were a lot of people, the airplane flew and after two minutes it was bombed. This was the first time when I looked death in the eyes.’’
Nino and her mother decided to escape From Sokhumi by seaside, as she says Russians and Abkhazians were very cruel to the Georgians, but especially terrible thing were done by battalion of Bagramian. The city was full of dead people: ,,I was running on the seaside and watching how Sokhumi was bombed. Suddenly a bomb exploded near me, I passed out. When I opened my eyes my mother was digging the ground to bury me, she thought I was dead. It was the long and very difficult way of Svaneti, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know how, but we survived. ’’
Nino also talked about her friend’s story who lived in Gagra. When her friend’s family decided to leave the city their father stayed at Gagra. For many years they didn’t know that happened with him. Once they heard his story, but didn’t know if it was real.
Photo: Michael Goldwater
Abkhazians attacked him at his house, they demanded him to step on Georgian flag, he refused, they demanded him to bend the knee, he refused again. Abkhazians killed him and dropped his body in the street, they warned everyone to not to touch him, because as they said-Georgians should be eaten by pigs.’’ Abkhazian woman who was their neighbour, was guarding a dead man from animals for three days and finally she was able to steal the body and buried him in an orange plantation, she marked his grave, but only she knew this place. After 25 years my friend found this old lady, story appeared real, she took him to the grave and after all this years he moved his father to Tbilisi, I think it is another tragedy.’’-says Nino.
Another refugee from Abkhazia is Ana (name is changed, she asked for anonymity) she was Just 18 when the war started.
At that time she was in Sokhumi, all her family members were in different cities, some of them in Gali, some in Gagra. She had no contact with them and had no idea if they were alive. She decided to leave Sokhumi with her relatives. When they finally escaped, there was a Svaneti road: ,,I thought that this road had no end, we were psychologically broken’’-mentioned Ana.
As she says, it started snowing by the middle of September in Svaneti mountains. People were in summer clothes and a lot of them were frozen to the death. ,,when we approached the populating area of Svaneti, Svanetians were bringing warm clothes for us. When we were in one of the villages of Svanti, one family sheltered as much people as they could, this family slaughtered all the animals they had, it was the first time for a month when we ate.’’
Ana survived and she found her family, all of her family members were alive, except her father, he died in Gagra, as they know their neighbours buried him secretly at night, somewhere in Gagra.
Photo: Michael Goldwater
Children born into IDP family, or experiencing displacement at a very early age often face the issues that is hard to understand by the rest of the society and that requires special attention. The integration process is also often difficult for the whole IDP community. What are the reasons for the existing gap within the society.
Giorgi Ghvinjilia, social anthropologist will share his observations around the issue. He is also an IDP, so his personal experience also played a huge role in developing interest towards the topic.
Diaries from Abkhazia
Finishing the school, getting a student card and beginning the war took place at the same time. Until that, there was one hot spot in Samachablo, but Apkhazava thought that war would never affect her until she experienced it. Maia Apkhazava is from Ochamchire, but she was brought up in the Gudava village. Her parents divorced early and she and her brother were staying with grandmother. After the war began, everything went upside down. “Instead of hanging out with friends, my life changed fully and I learnt all Russian words connected to war, because I listened to them very often. But despite the fact that war was very close to me, I couldn’t realize the hardness of the situation fully”-Apkhazava mentioned.
After the fall of Gagra, she firstly found out about the death of her relative. Then it continued in that way. Many young men died and everything was happening in front of her. There was too much death, suffering, fear and tears in her life during this hard time. It was time when a peace agreement was formed, she and her friends were very happy and decided to go to University for the first time. But the fear of an unclear future returned to her very soon.
“Being a student of Sokhumi Humanitarian Institute continued only for three days, then everything began again”-she mentioned. According to her Abkhazians were using Russian tanks, cars, tractors, carts, horses, everything that was accessible and she was following the situation from the window of her house. Firstly, Apkhazava and others around her were crying about everyone who was dead, but then they were thinking only about saving themselves and hiding somewhere in a safe place.
“Four of my classmates were taken by my lecturer to her house, because they were without parents and the lecturer didn’t want to leave them. After several days shell fell on her house and all of them died immediately”-Apkhazava mentioned.
Because she had blonde hair and didn’t look like as Georgian according to her visual, she was going to take water and also brought food at home which was distributed to Abkhazians in real. For each knock on the door, she was thinking it was last time she could open the door. According to her, thinking about the fact that her grandma, uncle, brother were alive or not, was worse than hunger and thirst.
“Only dream I had every day was my grandma’s house, which was fully on fire”-Apkhazava mentioned.
After one month and half, she left Sokhumi. She was looking for burnt houses and emptiness, but hoped that would achieve home. 19 years old girl was left alone but kept strength and survived despite everything. Maia Apkhazava was 19 years old, when she became an IDP. She is 49 years old now, living with husband and three daughters. Her apartment is in the building intended for IDPs.
Photo: Michael Goldwater
“I try not to think about Abkhazia, I don’t like watching cadres connected to it. It’s very hard for me, then I remember everything, childhood, youth, and student years. Despite the fact that I spent most of my life in Tbilisi, being an IDP, I feel like a guest here. My carefree life ended in Abkhazia" - Davit Didberidze mentioned.
When the war started, Didberidze was in Gali, he was awakened by noise, and airplanes were flying everywhere. He remembers many emergency cars where people had been with injuries. Didberidze was a member of the National Guard loyal to the President, so he had tools also. Firstly, he with his friends decided to go forest by forest, but then realized that they would meet Abkhazians or Georgians there and they would kill them. For four months he couldn’t manage to go to his house. Then, according to a decision from the Government, he was sent to Sokhumi by helicopter from Zugdidi with others to participate in war. All of them were equipped, but in civilian clothes. On the second day, he visited home, Sokhumi was bombed. Then there was too much death and suffering for a long time.
Until the last minute, when he realized they lost this war, he couldn’t imagine such a thing could happen and one day would live somewhere else far away from everything. After crossing the border and being in Tbilisi, he was seeing in his dreams that he had been at his house. When he was assured that war had ended and they lost Abkhazia, even after this he wasn’t thinking of beginning a new life.
“I was waiting every day to go back, it was unimaginable for me to get used to living in Tbilisi. Only for these last three years I realized that it would be too hard to return to old life. I can compare myself to a passenger, who stays on station with his bag and is waiting for the train, but doesn’t know when it comes”-Didberidze said.
Photo: Michael Goldwater