In April 1991, the Republic of Georgia gained independence from the Soviet Union. The conflict in Abkhazia began when local authorities attempted to separate from the Republic. Civil unrest escalated into a series of armed confrontations in the summer of 1992 when the Georgian government deployed 2,000 Georgian troops in Abkhazia. A cease-fire agreement was reached on September 3rd in Moscow by the Georgian government, the leadership of Abkhazia and the Russian Federation. The agreement stipulated that the territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia would be ensured. It established a cease-fire that would take effect on September 5th. The agreement also included the disarmament of illegal formations, the reduction of the armed forces and the exchange of prisoners. However, the agreement was never fully implemented. On October 1st, the cease-fire collapsed and fighting resumed.
In May 1993, Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali appointed Eduard Brunner as his Special Envoy for Georgia. On July 27th, a new agreement was concluded which re-established a cease-fire. On August 24th, the Security Council established the UN Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) pursuant to resolution 858. The primary function of UNOMIG was to monitor and verify the implementation of the cease-fire and separation of forces. This includes verifying that troops or heavy military equipment do not remain in or re-enter the security zone or the restricted weapons zone; monitoring the storage areas for heavy military equipment withdrawn from the security zone and the restricted weapons zone; investigating reported or alleged violations of the agreement; and contributing to conditions conducive to the safe and orderly return of refugees and displaced persons. However, the full deployment of UNOMIG was suspended when the cease-fire broke down on September 16th. Another cease-fire agreement was reached in Moscow on May 14th.
On October 1, 1995, the Secretary-General appointed Liviu Bota to be his Special Envoy and Head of Mission of UNOMIG. The presence of a resident Deputy was intended to strengthen the efforts of the United Nations to find and implement a comprehensive settlement to the Georgian conflict.
Civil unrest continued in Georgia throughout 1996. The 133 member UNOMIG maintained its presence, seeking to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the conflict and promote human rights.
