SUMMARY

The militant group White Legion was formed in Abkhazia after fighting between the Abkhaz forces and the Georgian government officially ended in 1993 with the defeat of the Georgian army. The group consisted of ethnic Georgians with their major base for recruitment being the community of ethnically Georgian internally displaced persons.. They were supported by the Executive Council of the Abkhaz Government in Exile, which was subsidized by the Georgian government. In line with the objective of the Georgian government and the exile government to regain control over Abkhazia, the primary goal of the White Legion was to destabilize Abkhazia and to disturb the efforts by Abkhaz authorities to consolidate a de-facto regime. However, the Georgian government soon lost control over the White Legion. Increasingly, the groups shifted their focus on organized crime and smuggling across the ceasefire line, profiting from the thriving parallel economy in the region. The group broke up soon after the Rose Revolution and the Abkhaz Government in Exile stopped the financial support. The group was mainly active in the Kodori Valley and the region around the town of Gali, infiltrating Abkhazia by crossing the porous ceasefire line. The leader of the White Legion was Zurab Samushia and the group numbered about 150 to 200 men.

The White Legion has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.