ICRC kicks off new round of excavations of potential gravesites in Abkhazia

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) started on May 26 the new round of excavations of potential gravesites in Abkhazia with the aim of searching for the persons who went missing as a result of the 1992-93 armed conflict, ICRC reported on Thursday.

ICRC experts in forensic archaeology and anthropology, together with locally trained specialists, plan to excavate around 30 potential gravesites in 2021. Information about these sites was collected in the framework of the coordination mechanism, established under the aegis of the ICRC with the purely humanitarian aim – to provide answers to the families of missing persons on the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones, ICRC stated.

“Since the inception of the two coordination mechanisms in 2010 (one working in connection with the 1992-93 armed conflict in Abkhazia and the other one – with the conflicts of 90ies and 2008 of South Ossetia), remains of up to 583 persons have been recovered under their auspices, out of which 206 have been identified and handed over to their families. In total, 2,355 people, including military and civilians, are still reported as missing in connection with the armed conflicts of the 1990s and August 2008. The work continues to clarify the fate and whereabouts of other missing persons from the conflicts,” ICRC added.