South Caucasus

Exploration of Potential NP Deployments in South Caucasus - Georgia, with 4.4 million people, was a republic within the Soviet Union until 1991. Since independence it has confronted two breakaway regions: coastal Abkhazia, with about 300,000 people; and South Ossetia, in the Caucasus foothills, with about 70,000 people. After fighting between 1992 and 1994 resulted in about 200,000 refugees and the loss of territorial control in those regions by the central government, a new short war took place in August 2008.

If there is a new ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia, and an EU monitoring mission active on the southern side of the ceasefire lines, the international monitoring presence by OSCE and UN has been withdrawn. Due to the level of destruction and mistrust left by the conflict, and for the humanitarian law violations committed, many civilians are unable to return to any sort of normal life. 

Since 2009, NP has consulted with stakeholders in the South Caucasus and is carrying out on-the-spot assessment visits to check the need and feasibility of a full-scale deployment of NP teams in the region. NP believes an international non-partisan presence tasked with activities not covered by the current international organizations' mandates may reduce the levels of violence perpetrated by armed actors, increase space for human rights defenders and inter-community bridge-builders to operate, and improve the chances of conflict-sensitive returns of displaced persons to their communities. The exploratory team will submit its mission report and recommendation by May 2010.

Contact: Alessandro Rossi, European Regional Coordinator, Nonviolent Peaceforce Email: arossi at nonviolentpeaceforce.org    Tel: +32(0) 2 648 00 76