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Georgians tell how they fled Gori bombing
Written by: Marie Cacace
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Today I meet possibly the youngest victim of the conflict between Georgia and Russia. Just 10 days old, Salome is sleeping peacefully in her cot, oblivious to the crisis that defined the first days of her life. I come across her at a dilapidated building on the outskirts of the Georgian capital Tbilisi where 200 people are seeking refuge and assistance from aid agencies like Oxfam. Her mother Tsira tells me she had been due to give birth in her hometown of Gori - the hard-hit Georgian city just outside the breakaway region of South Ossetia. But Salome arrived earlier than predicted and Tsira ended up giving birth in a Tbilisi hospital that was better equipped to manage labour complications. So when the bombs rained down on Gori - and onto Tsira's house - she was safe in Tbilisi, recovering in a hospital bed. Those few days may have played a critical role in saving Salome and her mother's lives. "When Salome was born, I did not know about the war. That is, until I was told by the doctors to leave the hospital two days after Salome was brought into the world," Tsira tells me. "They said that I was not ready to be dismissed but that they had to give priority to the sick and injured from the recent fighting. What fighting? I soon learnt what was going on. I was terrified for my family in Gori but I had a small baby to look after. I had no choice but to be brave. "As soon as I discovered what was happening, my main priority was to find somewhere for us to stay and to make sure the rest of my family were OK." Salome's mother spent three days queuing outside one of the public buildings where those displaced by fighting were hoping to be allocated a place to stay. As she waited, Tsira frantically tried to get through to her loved ones still in Gori. "It was boiling hot in the summer sun, I was feeling unwell and carrying Salome. I did not know if my family would make it here, I had heard what state Gori and the people there were in. The masses queuing with me had arrived that day from towns where there had been bombing and killings, towns like Gori. "These people were so shocked by what had happened to them, so desperate to find shelter and in such horrible shape that I was initially overlooked. I stood in line with displaced people trying to seek cover in the shade for three long days." Her baby's delicate skin got burnt in the scorching sun but she dared not leave the queue for fear they wouldn't get a place to sleep. They were eventually allocated a room in the kindergarten where I meet them. Tsira's husband, who has since made it here with their four other children, tells me how terrified they were as Gori came under attack. "It was terrible. Bombs were going off around us as well as looting and shooting," he says. "We were petrified, it was awful what was going on around us. I sent my youngest son to Tbilisi first - he is only seven. I packed him off with other people who were fleeing to Tbilisi. "We were all petrified. None of us knew whether or not we would suffer the same fate as the unfortunate souls who we had seen had died during the chaos." He says more members of the family have now joined them after walking most of the 70 km from Gori. "We are happy to be here altogether now but what next? We do not even know if our house is still standing," he adds. Oxfam International and its partner NGOs are currently assisting displaced people in Georgia who fled areas of conflict. Oxfam would be prepared to help any civilians affected by the conflict, whether they are in Georgia, including South Ossetia, or North Ossetia, if granted safe access to assess the situation and if assistance were needed. Russia has said it is managing relief operations in South and North Ossetia.
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3 responses to “Georgians tell how they fled Gori bombing”
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Marie Cacace is a Communications Officer for Oxfam and covers the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. She is based at Oxfam GB headquarters in the UK. Places she has worked in include Yemen, Russia and Israel/Palestine.
23 Aug 2008 08:51:12 GMT
Frankly I think that it is not Russia, but US who is overreacting in this regional conflict. Why do you think this small friend of US is causing so much interest? News should be in bold letters - "Georgian aggression in Ossetya is stopped by Russia" - and in small lettering explanation, that Russia had to chase the Georgian agressor into their territory to neutralize their bases... Instead you see RUSSIAN AGGRESSION everywhere and in small letters "georgia attacked civilians but russian peacekeepers prevented the massacre and pushed Georgioans away"
23 Aug 2008 08:54:19 GMT
Great article Marie. Perhaps it might have been worth mentioning that little Salome was being kept safe because her mother was breastfeeding her (I presume she was). Reports are coming in that large amounts of infant formula are being sent to Ossetia by well meaning individuals, organisations and governments. If these products are freely distributed (as they often are)they are used by mothers who would otherwise breastfeed. This places them and their babies at serious risk. Artificially fed babies are the most vulnerable segment of the population in an emergency. Unfortunately, the general public is not aware of this, hence the unsolicitied donations of infant formula. Media people, like yourself, have a role in education. I can provide you with more information on this if you wish. Karleen Gribble University of Western Sydney
27 Aug 2008 13:34:25 GMT
George,
Your not going to get that kind of reporting from the Western media. They are under orders from their masters they cannot publish the truth as we see by these blogs which are mostly one-sided and pro-Georgian. All I can say is remember Kosovo and the lessons NATO taught us to be the aggressor and attack without justification and later steal 15% of Kosovo away from Serbia against UN Resolutions namely 1244. Russia has done the same but Russia was justified to protect its citizens from Georgian attacks unlike NATO supporting a known terror group with the KLA. Educated people know the truth here the sheep do not. Russia was RIGHT to attack Georgia. Bigger picture this whole thing was provocations by the U.S. so they could get Poland to sign on and build the ABM base to target Russian ICBM's from Europe. That is the final piece missing since the ABM base in Japan guards against Russian ICBM launches from the east, the Alaskan ABM base from Russian ICBM launches over the North Pole and now Poland from western Russia. Russia will be surronded because they have a powerful energy leverage over the West and the U.S. is not happy about it. Nabucco, Baku-Ceyhan, AMBO, TAPI are all pipelines by the West to by-pass Russian influence. Georgia is host to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. The NATO attack upon Serbia was partly for the AMBO pipeline where Kosovo became independent AFTER Serbia signed the South Stream pipeline deal with Russia. TAPI is the newest pipeline by the West to by-pass Russia in eastern Afghanistan, yes even Afghanistan was invaded for oil, not terrorism. People need to open their eyes and understand what motivates nations. As for the West it is NOT democracy or fighting terrorism, it is oil and who controls the flow. Georgia, Ukraine and Chechnya all host major oil pipelines to the West hence instability and wars brought on by the West. Iraq is all oil folks! Serbia was attacked for the AMBO pipeline and Kosovo ripped away after the Serbs signed a major oil pipeline deal with Russia. Afghanistan is not about oil period hence the lack of trying to eliminate the Taliban nor al qeada by the West. They feel they control enough of that nation to build the massive oil pipeline, think about it.