hoto Essay: A Decade of Strife Takes Toll on Abkhazia

Renewed hostilities in Abkhazia now appear to be a very real possibility. And if fighting re-ignites, Russian troops may get involved. Abkhaz leaders have for several months accused Georgia of trying to provoke a resumption of warfare. They say Georgian government border guards and Tbilisi-sponsored partisan bands continue to operate in the Kodori Gorge sector in violation of an April agreement, under which Georgian officials agreed to a troop withdrawal. The upper Kodori Gorge is the only part of Abkhazia that remains under Tbilisi's control.

"Georgian armed bands have recently been attempting to enter territories controlled by Abkhaz authorities," the Interfax news agency quoted Raul Khajimba, a top defense official in the Abkhaz leadership, as saying August 1. "Georgian border guards, who are located in the upper part of the Kodori Gorge, and their artillery, are the main destabilizing factor in the region."

Georgian officials deny any intention of renewing military operations against Abkhazia. At the same time, Tbilisi maintains that it cannot be responsible for the armed actions of partisan bands, which are primarily made up of ethnic Georgians displaced by earlier fighting in Abkhazia.

Meanwhile, Georgia has accused Moscow of dispatching additional military units and Cossack volunteers to Abkhazia to reinforce Russian peacekeepers already in the region. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied sending any reinforcements to Russia.

Georgia and Russia have long been at odds over the actions of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia. Of late, Russia has also assailed Georgia for not taking action to prevent Chechen rebels from using Georgian territories to launch raids into the separatist Russian province. Abkhaz leaders have claimed that Chechen rebels have been operating in the Kodori Gorge.

In late July, Georgian military personnel spotted a Russian military unit deploying in the Kodori Gorge. A confrontation loomed, but the crisis was defused when Georgian Defense Minister David Tevzadze flew to the Kodori Gorge, and following direct talks, convinced the Russian troops to withdraw.

Photographer Aldo Castellani recently spent time in Abkhazia, including in the regional capital, Sukhumi. He spent his time documenting daily life in contemporary Abkhazia. A selection of his photos comprises this EurasiaNet photo essay.