Remains of 12 people missing in 1992-1993 Abkhazia war identified, returned

The remains of 12 individuals who went missing during the 1992-1993 armed conflict in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region have been identified and returned to their families in the latest phase of the long-running efforts, the International Committee of the Red Cross Georgia said on Wednesday.

The release said the identification of bodies had been made possible as part of the humanitarian coordination mechanism on persons unaccounted for in connection with the events of armed conflict and after, involving Abkhaz and Georgian participants and operating with the ICRC's support since 2010.

In her comments, Anne Montavon, the Head of ICRC delegation in the country, expressed her “deepest” condolences on behalf of the ICRC to the families of the deceased, noting they had “finally received the remains of their loved ones”.

We are also thinking about all the other families whose relatives are still unaccounted for and who are still struggling because of the uncertainty. We will continue working closely with the Georgian authorities as this year they will take up further responsibility in providing support to the families of the missing persons and in the forensic identification process”, she added.

The ICRC noted the remains of 285 people had been identified and handed over to their families since the inception of the platform in 2010, with 1,859 people - both combatants and civilians - still considered missing.