The Georgian Armed Forces mutiny of October 1998 was an abortive attempt of a rebellion organized by a group of officers led by Colonel Akaki Eliava in western Georgia against the government of President Eduard Shevardnadze.
Akaki Eliava, a leader of the revolt, was among the most active supporters of the late president Zviad Gamsakhurdia, who was ousted in a coup in 1992 and defeated in a subsequent attempt to regain power in 1993.
On October 18, 1998, approximately 200 Georgian soldiers led by Eliava left their barracks at the town of Senaki in western Georgia and marched on Kutaisi, the second largest city in the country.
As a result of a 2 week long clashes between the government forces and the rebels, Gamsakhurdia was ousted and forced to leave the country,[4] as Tengiz Kitovani and Tengiz Sigua, the main leaders of the rebel factions, invited the former first secretary of the Georgian Communist Party, and the former Soviet minister of foreign affairs, Eduard Shevardnadze, to become the chairman of the Georgian parliament, de facto ruling as the new president, As the impoverished former Soviet republic plunged into a brutal civil war, Gamsakhurdia saw this as an opportunity to come back to power, returning to Georgia in September 1993 and beginning warfare in the Samegrelo region.
One of such Zviadists was Akaki Eliava, the future leader of the mutiny, who was arrested after the war, but was later granted amnesty and joined the reconstructed armed forces of Georgia, becoming a Colonel.
Even though the new government restored peace in the country, the political and economical instability continued, as many factors, such as widespread corruption, would halt the recovery of the country from the effects of the civil war, as well as severely damage Shevardnadze's reputation, who survived an assassination attempt in August 1995,[6] for which he blamed and imprisoned Jaba Ioseliani, the leader of the paramilitary organisation Mkhedrioni, which played a vital role in the civil war.
The rebels seized tanks and armoured vehicles, and blocked several key roads in the area,[9] heading to Kutaisi, capturing which would open the way for the capital city of Tbilisi.
"[10] The security was tightened near the key buildings in Tbilisi, as the government forces under the personal command of Defense Minister David Tevzadze managed to intercept the rebels.
It was declared as the winner, receiving 22.10% of the vote, with the pro-Shevardnadze party, the Democratic Union for Revival, led by the leader of the Adjarian Autonomous Republic, Aslan Abashidze, taking the second place.