1989 Sukhumi riots

1989 Sukhumi riots
1989 Sukhumi riots
Part of Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Date	July 1989
Location	Sukhumi, Abkhaz ASSR; 43°00′12″N 41°00′55″E / 43.00333°N 41.01528°E
Caused by	Opening of a Tbilisi State University branch in Sukhumi
Methods	Rioting, street fighting, looting, siege
Parties
Casualties
Death(s)	18
Injuries	448

The Sukhumi riot was a riot in Sukhumi, Abkhaz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union, in July 1989, triggered by an increasing inter-ethnic tensions between the Abkhaz and Georgian communities and followed by several days of street fighting and civil unrest in Sukhumi and throughout Abkhazia.

The riots started as an Abkhaz protest against opening of a branch of Tbilisi State University in Sukhumi, and concluded with looting of the Georgian school which was expected to house the new university on 16 July 1989. The ensuing violence quickly degenerated into a large-scale inter-ethnic confrontation. By the time when the Soviet army managed to temporarily bring the situation under control, the riots resulted in at least 18 dead and 448 injured, mostly Georgians. The first case of inter-ethnic violence in Georgia, it effectively marked the start of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.