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Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus

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For the woodpulp company in Chile, see CMPC (company).
Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus
Конфедерация горских народов Кавказа
LeadersMusa Shanibov (1989–1996)
Yusup Soslanbekov (1996–2000)
Dates of operation1989–2000
Active regionsNorth Caucasus
IdeologyPan-Caucasianism[1]
Allies
OpponentsGeorgia (country) Georgia
Battles and wars

The Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus (CMPC; Russian: Конфедерация горских народов Кавказа (КГНК); until 1991 known as Assembly of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus) was a militarised political organisation in the North Caucasus, active around the time of before the collapse of the Soviet Union and after, between 1989 and 2000. It played a decisive role in the 1992–1993 war between Abkhazia and Georgia, rallying militants from the North Caucasian republics. Its forces have been accused by Georgia of committing war crimes, including the ethnic cleansing of Georgians.[4] The Confederation has been inactive since the assassination of its second leader, Yusup Soslanbekov, in 2000.

Creation

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On the initiative of the Abkhaz ethno-nationalist movement Aidgylara, the Assembly of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus was established in Abkhazia's capital Sukhumi on 25 and 26 August 1989. On 13 and 14 October 1990, the Assembly held its second congress in Nalchik, where it was transformed into the so-called Mountain Republic.[5] On 4 November 1990, in Nalchik, its membership was expanded.[5][citation needed] Sixteen nations of the Caucasus joined the Confederation. The Assembly elected the president (Musa Shanibov) and 16 vice presidents. Yusup Soslanbekov was the chairman of the Caucasian Parliament and Sultan Sosnaliyev was appointed the head of the Confederation's military department.[citation needed] A third assembly was held in Sukhumi on 1 and 2 November 1991, when the organization was renamed to the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus.[citation needed]

War in Abkhazia

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Main article: War in Abkhazia (1992–1993)

Following the outbreak of war as Georgian troops entered Abkhazia in August 1992, the Confederation held its 11th parliamentary session in Grozny. A clear purpose of the establishment of this organization became obvious after this Session. The Confederation created assault detachments of volunteers that were later deployed in Abkhazia during the war. The confederation raised about 1,500 volunteers in the span of a month.[6] It was reported that Shamil Basayev became commander of CMPC forces in 1992.[7]

Sukhumi Massacre

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Main article: Sukhumi massacre

On September 27, 1993 the Abkhaz side violated the UN-mediated cease-fire agreement (the Georgian side had agreed to pull out all heavy artillery and tanks from Sukhumi in return for a cease-fire) by storming defenceless Sukhumi. The Confederates moved into Sukhumi and started to sweep through the streets of the city. As the city was engulfed by heavy fighting, civilians took refuge in abandoned houses and apartment buildings. Some of the civilians of Georgian ethnicity were massacred after their discovery by the Confederates. By late afternoon the remainder of the Georgian troops surrendered to the Abkhaz side. The majority of Georgian POWs were executed on the same day by Abkhaz formations and Confederates. Few civilians and military personnel managed to survive the massacre. The massacre continued for two weeks after the fall of Sukhumi (See Ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia).[8][9][10]

Later history

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IV (extraordinary) congress of the Confederation of Peoples of the Caucasus. Grozny, Chechen Republic, October 3-4, 1992.

Following the Abkhazian war, the Confederation went into a period of decline due largely to the feuds among its pro- and anti-Kremlin factions. It experienced a brief revival in December 1994, when Shanibov rallied thousands across the North Caucasus to block roads to the Russian forces heading to Grozny. However, the change of power in Shanibov’s home republic, Kabardino-Balkaria, in favor of a strongly pro-Moscow leader prevented him from exerting any political influence in the region, forcing him to retire from politics in 1996. Since then, the organization has had no role in Caucasus affairs.[11] It never disbanded, but has been completely inactive since Shanibov’s successor, Yusup Soslambekov, was assassinated in Moscow on July 27, 2000.[12]

Its forces have been accused (inter alia by Georgian State Commission of Ascertaining Facts of the Policies of Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide) of committing war crimes, including the ethnic cleansing of Georgians.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Stanislav Lakoba (August 1998). "Chapter 7 – Abkhazia, Georgia and the Caucasus Confederation". Georgians and Abkhazians. The Search for a Peace Settlement.
  2. ^ "Армения: правительство отказывается от услуг парламента" [Armenia: the government refuses the services of the parliament]. Kommersant (in Russian). 4 May 1992. Конфедерация горских народов Кавказа, сессия которой проходила в Цхинвале, напротив, поддержала южных осетин в их стремлении присоединиться к России [In contrast, the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, whose session was held in Tskhinvali, supported the South Ossetians in their desire to join Russia]
  3. ^ Dunlop, John (1998). Russia Confronts Chechnya: Roots of a Separatist Conflict. Cambridge University Press. pp. 144–145. ISBN 9780521636193. One of the reasons that Basaev was successful in this operation was that he had reportedly received training from the Russian GRU. As the former GRU colonel Stanislav Lunev has noted: "Shamir Basaev's detachment went through not only training, but was also 'broken in' under fire in Abkhaziya under the direction of GRU specialists, whose professionalism and individual courage received the highest marks from the Chechen terrorist himself."... Shamir Basaev has confirmed the fact of his earlier cooperation with the Russian military: "While still in Abkhaziya," he recalled in mid-1995, "I had contact with Russian generals and officers." Beginning in 1994, he would put this training to use against the very Russians who had provided it to him in the first place.
  4. ^ "Memorial of Georgia". International Court of Human Rights. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Shamba, Sergei (17 December 2008). "Сергей Шамба о 20-летии движения "Аидгылара" и национально-освободительной борьбе народа Абхазии". REGNUM News Agency. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  6. ^ Collier, Paul; Nicholas Sambanis (2005). Understanding Civil War. World Bank Publications. p. 272. ISBN 0-8213-6049-3.
  7. ^ "Шамиль Басаев: враг России номер один". BBCRussian.com. 1 November 2002. Archived from the original on March 27, 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  8. ^ Human Rights Watch report GEORGIA/ABKHAZIA: VIOLATIONS OF THE LAWS OF WAR AND RUSSIA'S ROLE IN THE CONFLICT, March 1995.
  9. ^ Chervonnaia, Svetlana Mikhailovna. Conflict in the Caucasus: Georgia, Abkhazia and the Russian Shadow. Gothic Image Publications, 1994
  10. ^ U.S. State Department, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993, February 1994, pp 877, 881, 891
  11. ^ "Sobaka Dossier on Musa Shanibov". Archived from the original on 2006-06-15. Retrieved 2006-05-04.
  12. ^ Central Asia – Caucasus Analyst article "Who’s afraid of Yusup Soslambekov", by Miriam Lanskoy
  13. ^ ЗАКЛЮЧЕНИЕ Государственной комиссии Грузии по установлению фактов политики этнической чистки — геноцида, проводимой в отношении грузинского населения Абхазии, Грузия, и передачи материалов в Международный трибунал
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