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Abkhazian Paramilitaries Looted Ganmukhuri Village and Drive Off

September 15, 2008

Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi

The village at the Black Sea seaside has returned to ordinary life after being occupied for a period of one-month by Russian and Abkhaz forces. Abkhazian paramilitaries finally left the village of Ganmukhuri on September 9. However, their stay will be remembered by those people who had their looted and were personally threatened or insulted. Russian checkpoint still remains at the bridge linking villages of Ganmukhuri and Darcheli. The peacekeeping forces under mandate of the CIS continue their patrolling in the area where have been based for the last 14 years.

Abkhazian military and police forces had occupied five main positions in the area of Ganmukhuri for a period of one month. A total of three Abkhazian HQs were opened in the homes of locals, and one included a joint force of CIS peacekeepers.

Most part of Ganmukhuri left the village since Georgian armed forces were ordered to retreat from the area…Abkhazians opened their first HQ in the house of Iuri Akhalaia.

Tsira Akhalaia: “I returned to my house with my two children one month later. Nearly 30 Abkhazian paramilitaries were stationed in our house. Everything had been looted and destroyed. The stuff they could not take with them broke up. They even took away furniture, household items, vessels and clothes.”

Khvicha Korshia: “I could not leave my old and ill mother alone. They used to come to my house and would demand food and alcohol. They used to come and ordered what they wanted and if I had not prepared their demanded food for them, they would then insult and abused me. I did not want to live as a result. When I used to take hazelnuts to Zugdidi market to sell Abkhazians ordered me to bring either beer or vodka or cigarette for them when I returned. If I did not obey their order, they would have abused me. Besides that I paid 5 lari to them for the transportation of one sack of nuts across the bridge.”

Roland Gigiberia: “They used to call the men and women who were in the village and forced use to work for them. We were cleaning the house, yard and haul trash away for them. I was hiding a car in the village of Darcheli. 5 Abkhazians met me in the street, took me to Darcheli and stole the car from me under threat of a gun. I know they are driving by my car in the streets of Gali.”

There was one unit of Abkhazian paramilitaries deployed in the public school of Ganmukhuri, and they completely destroyed school equipment. They stole the computers and furniture. They painted the Georgian flag painted on the wall of the school in red.  
 
To see Russian news programs and for dinner Abkhazians visited Tariel Todua who lives close to the public school. Abkhazian paramilitaries took showers in the house of the Gogokhias in the neighborhood.

Abkhazians occupied the second floor of Lorita Lazaria’s house for 20 days. 13-men-unit changed each other based on one-day-shift. The paramilitaries took various stuff and gold jewelries from the house of Lazaria.

Occupants took the biggest hoard from the house of the Ninuas. They took beach equipment from the house of Izo Ninua who was keeping the items temporarily at home.

Izo Ninua: “Our house is at the estuary of the Enguri River to the Black Sea, so we managed to escape by river. We arrived in Anaklia, a village at the seaside. My three sons, daughter-in-law, two grandchildren and I were sitting on the raft. Russian aircrafts started bombing Anakllia when we were sailing across the river. It is only because of a miracle that we somehow survived the bombing. After I left my family peacefully in a quiet place, I and one of my sons later returned home. There, Abkhazians came to our house by three vehicles and took the equipment of the beach-both state and private property- which we were keeping at home. They also hauled off air-conditioners, fridges, which belonged to me; they just packed everything up in cars and drove off to Abkhazia.”

Residents of Ganmukhuri still painfully recall the days when Abkhazian looters were openly raiding their village. As they retell, imaginary peace started when militia-men from Sokhumi replaced the looters. However, they still expect that they will face danger now and in the future.

 

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