September Offensive (War in Abkhazia)

The September Offensive or the Siege of Sukhumi occurred from 16 to 27 September 1993, between the Abkhaz separatists, along with their Russian and North Caucasian backers, and Georgia, being the last engagement of the War in Abkhazia.

The battle began on 16 September, when the separatists, aided by the local Russian military base, launched their offensive on Sukhumi, the capital city of the region, amidst the escalation of the Georgian Civil War. Georgians, having withdrawn most of their military equipment from the city following the ceasefire agreement, which was supposed to put an end to the military conflict, were caught by surprise, outgunned and outnumbered, which allowed the separatists to almost encircle and besiege the city, cutting its vital communication lines with the rest of Georgia. Although the warring sides in the Georgian Civil War made a deal to unify their forces to break the siege, they were still unable to coordinate effectively and on time, and thus on 27 September, the city fell to the separatists. The disorganized Georgian forces were unable to mount a proper defence and chaotically retreated, which resulted in the separatists capturing most of the region by 30 September, thus ending the 13-month long war.

Following the battle, the Abkhazian troops, having established their control over Sukhumi, committed numerous massacres and other atrocities against the local population, which forced most of the Georgian residents to flee the city, although as the most were unable to escape through the blockaded coastal road, they had to flee through the Caucasus Mountains through the blizzard, which led to stravation, freezing and death of many. Thus, tens of thousands were violently displaced from the city and even more from the entire region.