On 31 March 1999, Amtsakhara was founded on the initiative of Sergei Dbar, Vladimir Nachach, Aki Ardzinba and Garik Samanba and a number of others as a public organisation uniting veterans of the 1992–1993 war with Georgia.

Amtsakhara had lashed out at Gagulia for being inefficient and weak on crime [citation needed], and public anger had boiled over at its congress.

Amtsakhara intended to challenge the ruling party at the October 2004 Presidential election, when Ardzinba was forced by the Constitution to step down.

Their chances of winning the 2004 elections initially suffered a blow in April 2004, when several other opposition politicians combined to form the United Abkhazia alliance.

[4] Following the May 2014 Revolution, Amtsakhara held an extraordinary congress on 18 July, in which it condemned the events and nominated Security Service Chairman Aslan Bzhania for President in the August election.

[7] The congress unanimously called upon president Raul Khajimba to appoint a member of the opposition to the post of Prime Minister and approved a change to its leadership structure, reducing its number of Chairmen from three to one.

[13][14][15] The congress adopted several demands, including the dismissal of Interior Minister Leonid Dzapshba and the postponement of the referendum to the Autumn.

[17] Despite pleas by Chairman Alkhas Kvitsinia not to violate the Ministry building, a number of activists tried to break through the security cordon, including by throwing stones, bricks and molotov cocktails.