Martial Law Declared in Abkhazia
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TBILISI, Georgia — Georgian leader Eduard A. Shevardnadze declared martial law Tuesday in the war-torn Abkhazia region of this former Soviet republic as separatist rebels advanced toward the regional capital, Sukhumi.
The announcement that Shevardnadze was taking control followed news that Abkhazian rebels had recaptured the only road linking Sukhumi to the rest of Georgia and opened a new front south of the seaside city of 130,000 people.
The civil war began 11 months ago after Georgia sent thousands of soldiers into the region, whose 97,000 Abkhazians want to unify with other Muslim ethnic groups in Georgia and neighboring Russia. Georgia has repeatedly accused Russia of intervening in the fighting.
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