South Ossetia, a region in Georgia, is seeking independence. It has a distinct ethnic group and was first claimed by Russia in the 19th century. In 1989, Georgia rejected a reunification proposal, leading to a crackdown and many deaths. South Ossetia declared independence in 1991 and 2006, but it has not been recognized. Georgia proposes relative autonomy, while Russia supports South Ossetia. The situation remains tense, and violence could break out at any moment. Travel to the region is not recommended.
South Ossetia is a region within the nation of Georgia, currently competing for independent status. It covers 1,500 square miles (3,900 square km), making it just a little larger than the state of Rhode Island.
Ossetians constitute a distinct ethnic group, descendants of Central Asian tribes, within the nation of Georgia. South Ossetia was first claimed by Russia in the early 19th century, around the same time Georgia itself was. While North Ossetia joined the USSR as part of the Terek Soviet Republic, South Ossetia was adopted as part of the Menshevik Democratic Republic of Georgia. Already in the 1919s, South Ossetia became its own district, as an Autonomous Oblast.
In 1989, there was a movement to reunify North Ossetia and South Ossetia as part of the larger Russian Federation. This was rejected by Georgia, which in response revoked South Ossetia’s relative autonomy. The mandates proclaimed by the Georgian government following Georgia’s independence in 1991 led many in South Ossetia to fear that their culture would be deleted: the adoption of Georgian as the exclusive state language is of the greatest concern. South Ossetians began pushing Georgia for more autonomy, which eventually culminated in a crackdown by Georgians, resulting in nearly 1,000 deaths and nearly 100,000 South Ossetians fleeing north to Russia and Ossetia of North Ossetia, leaving fewer than 50,000 Ossetians in South Ossetia.
After pressure from Russia, Georgia negotiated a ceasefire with the South Ossetian factions. A period of relative peace followed, interrupted in 2004 by an outbreak of violence following the Georgian government’s crackdown on crime in South Ossetia. South Ossetia first declared independence from Georgia in 1991 following of a referendum, but this was not recognized by any state. The region followed this up with a referendum in 2006 which also declared independence, which has not received any recognition from the international community or from Georgia.
Currently the Georgian solution to the problem is to continue peaceful negotiations, rejecting any implication of a sovereign South Ossetian state. Proposals for relative autonomy within a Georgian state that would encompass all of South Ossetia have been made by the Georgian government and it seems likely that unless something drastically changes, this will be the future of South Ossetia. Complicating matters a bit is the fact that Russia appears to be supporting South Ossetia both politically and economically. Many South Ossetians hold Russian passports, and the Russian ruble is a de facto monetary unit in all of South Ossetia. Georgia sees this as a threat to its sovereignty and unification and has complained on multiple occasions about Russian involvement in the region.
The situation in South Ossetia remains tense and although both sides have been fairly committed to nonviolence in recent years – largely thanks to Russia’s insistence on it – it is possible that violence could break out again at any moment. Travel to South Ossetia is questionable at best and should be avoided unless the traveler feels very comfortable with such tensions and possible outbreaks of violence.
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