At the heart or at the margin? The fighters and the Abkhaz state: from armed engagement to symbolic legitimation

Based on interviews with former combatants who fought on the Abkhazian side during the 1992-1993 war, this article analyzes their role in the emergence of the de facto state from this war. The vocabulary used by these combatants sheds light on the meaning they give to the war and the state that resulted. The vicissitudes of the construction of an Abkhazian army and the difficulty of managing the circulation of weapons impeded the centralization of violence by the de facto state whose security is ensured by Russia. Forced into the background in matters related to the implementation of this security pact, these veterans, nonetheless, contributed, owing to their presence in politics and society, to a symbolic legitimation of this Abkhazian state.