South Ossetian and Abkhazian Wars
Main articles: Georgian-Ossetian Conflict, Georgian-Abkhaz conflict
In February 1992, the fighting escalated in South Ossetia, with sporadic Russian involvement. Facing interior instability and political chaos, Shevardnadze agreed to negotiations to avoid a confrontation with Russia. A cease-fire was agreed upon and on 14 July 1992, a peacekeeping operation began, consisting of a Joint Control Commission and joint Russian – Georgian – Ossetian military patrols.
By the summer of 1992, tensions in another secessionist region, Abkhazia, were close to developing into a full-scale Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. On August 14, Georgian forces entered Abkhazia to disarm separatist militias. By the end of September 1993, Russian-backed separatists fought back and took the region's capital, Sukhumi, after fierce fighting on September 27. Georgia's military defeat was followed by the ethnic cleansing of the Georgian majority in Abkhazia. The war produced approximately 20,000 deaths on both sides, and about 260,000 refugees and IDPs.
| Part of a series on the |
| History of Georgia |
|---|
| Prehistory |
|
| Bronze Age |
|
| Classical antiquity |
|
| Early Middle Ages |
|
| Medieval monarchy |
|
| 19th century onwards |
|
| Topics |
|
| Chronology |
| Georgia (country) portal |
Read more about this topic: Georgian Civil War
Famous quotes containing the words south and/or wars:
“These South savannahs may yet prove battle-fields.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“Fortunately art is a community effort—a small but select community living in a spiritualized world endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the flesh.”
—Allen Ginsberg (b. 1926)