Kidnapping of CIS peacekeepers rivets attention on Abkhazia volatility

Jeffrey Silverman 3/20/02

A hostage crisis in Georgia ended March 20 with the release of four CIS peacekeeping troops by Georgian guerrillas operating in the separatist region of Abkhazia. The incident is helping to refocus international attention on the issue of separatism in Georgia. Many local experts warn that, given the overall political turmoil in Tbilisi, the long-simmering conflicts involving the separatist-minded regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia could boil over once again.

The four Russian troops, members of the CIS peacekeeping force in Abkhazia, were kidnapped March 19 during an ambush in the Gali District. A Georgian guerrilla group claimed responsibility, and demanded that Abkhaz leaders release two captured cohorts. When Abkhaz leaders met the demand, the four CIS troops were freed unharmed, and apparently in good health, local media reported.

Abkhaz leaders have accused President Eduard Shevardnadze's government of preparing for a new round of fighting to try to reestablish Tbilisi's authority in the separatist areas. Abkhazia and South Ossetia secured de facto independence by defeating government forces shortly after Georgia gained independence in 1991. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives].

On March 6, an Abkhaz security official said Georgian forces were plotting to kidnap UN observers in order to provide a pretext for Tbilisi's military intervention, Caucasus Press reported. On March 12, another Abkhaz leader accused the Georgian government of funding guerrilla groups active in Abkhazia.

The Abkhaz leadership also maintains that US military advisors will help train Georgian troops that are destined to be deployed by Tbilisi in operations to reconquer the separatist territories. US and Georgian officials insist American advisors will train troops for anti-terrorist operations in the crime-ridden Pankisi Gorge. US officials have said Chechen separatists and possibly al Qaeda fighters are active in the Pankisi area. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Meanwhile, Russian officials have portrayed conditions in the Kodori Gorge region of Abkhazia as "explosive," due mainly to the ongoing presence of Georgian troops and their Chechen insurgent confederates. On March 12, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman lambasted Tbilisi for failing to comply with accords signed in early 2002 on the withdrawal of Georgian forces from the area. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Russia and Georgia have wrangled for months over security-related issues. Moscow has insisted that Tbilisi prevent Chechen separatists from using Georgian territory as a rest and resupply base for guerrilla operations in Chechnya. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archives].

Local media reports allege that elements of the Georgian political and military leadership have joined forces with Chechen separatists in an alliance of convenience against common enemies. On March 17, the independent Rustavi-2 television station aired a report that provided details of an arms trafficking operation in which the Georgian military supplied Chechens with weapons.

Some local observers worry that the Georgian government has been emboldened by the arrival of US advisors to the point that Tbilisi is delusional about its own military capabilities. "We must stop trying to solve the problem in Abkhazia and South Ossetia by force. The problem in Abkhazia is not the problem of Russia or the United States," said Naira Gelashvili, president of the non-governmental organization Caucasian House. "It [Abkhazia] is a domestic problem, which cannot be eliminated unless the problem of endemic corruption is brought under control."

Gelashvili and others suggest the US presence is lulling Shevardnadze and other government leaders into a false sense of security. They add the Georgian leadership could decide that with the US military helping to address security concerns, there is no longer a need to address structural problems, including corruption, that are the root causes of instability.

"Neither the United States nor any other country will be capable of helping Georgia with its internal problems," Gelashvili continued. "If the representatives of the Georgian government themselves are incapable of self-realization and building a normal nation, then it is not excluded that these people [Georgian guerrillas or Chechen separatists] will be used to somebody else's advantage."

Despite the evident folly of resuming the Abkhazia conflict, one expert indicated that Shevardnadze's administration might find such a move politically expedient. "These events serve as a useful short term distraction from larger problems facing Shevardnadze," said Gia Nodia, chairman of the board for the Caucasus Institute for Peace Democracy and Development.

Editor's Note: Jeffrey K. Silverman is a freelance journalist based in Tbilisi.

Posted March 20, 2002 © Eurasianet