CIVIC: Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict

Latest news: Georgia

The Conflict

Following several clashes, the Georgian government attempted to recapture South Ossetia on  August 7, 2008, a breakaway region within the borders of Georgia, but under the control of the Russian-backed de facto authorities. With the stated goal of protecting Russian citizens in South Ossetia, Russia responded with a full military offensive, bombarding Georgian targets in the region as well as in undisputed regions of Georgia. Five days later both sides agreed to a ceasefire. Georgia reported 228 Georgian civilian casualties while the Russian Prosecutor General's Office documented the deaths of 165 South Ossetians. According to the UNHCR, an estimated 133,000 civilians were displaced by the violence adding to an already displaced population of some 223,000 people uprooted by conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the early 1990s.  

International donors pledged billions of dollars to help Georgia recover including one billion USD from the United States and 500 million euros from the EU Commission. The Bank of Georgia, the TBC Bank and the Tsiskari Charity Fund initiated financial compensation schemes, reconstruction and development projects for civilian victims of the war. The Georgian Government has helped rebuild or offered compensation for damaged homes. The Minister of Refugees and Resettlement of Georgia reported spending about USD 195 million in 2009 for rehabilitation, settling 7,000 families, compensating 1,400 others, and providing housing for 10,550 families from Abkhazia. Yet,civilians are struggling to recover. In South Ossetia, Prime Minister Putin pledged $305 million to rebuild parts damaged during the conflict. South-Ossetian officials have faced allegations of corruption due to delays in early reconstruction efforts.

CIVIC's Work

During the conflict, CIVIC urged Russian and Georgian officials  to ensure their militaries differentiated between civilian and military targets, keep record of civilians killed and injured, and provide amends to those harmed. CIVIC also decried Russia's use of cluster bombs.

CIVIC worked with NGOs on the ground to assess the damage to civilian lives and property, and met with Georgian officials to advocate for amends to the civilians harmed in the fighting. CIVIC continues to monitor assistance programs put in place and will work to apply lessons learned—both good and bad—for displaced civilians where applicable in other conflicts. A CIVIC research fellow will be based in Georgia in Summer 2010, and a report on amends for war victims is pending.

Casualty and Displacement Statistics

- As of mid 2009: 230,000 IDPs in total in Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia (UNHCR)
- By mid 2009: 37,000 civilians remain displaced from the 2008 fighting (IDMC)
- As of October, 2008: 127,000 civilians displaced by the conflict (UNHCR)

CIVIC on Georgia

Press Release: Georgia: After dropping cluster bombs, Russia has responsibility to help civilians, April 15, 2008

Press Release: Georgia/South Ossetia: Civilian Costs Already Too Great, April 11, 2008

For policy and program inquiries:
Sarah Holewinski
202 558 6958 x 501
sarah@civicworldwide.org

For press inquiries:
Marla Keenan
202 558 6958 x 502
marlab@civicworldwide.org