In early April 2000, displaced persons staged a hunger strike in front of the Abkhazian government building, demanding the promised one million lari to address their social problems. Jemal Mikeladze, chairman of the Coordinating Council of Political Organizations of Refugees from Abkhazia and Samachablo, stated that the protest aimed to draw the attention of President Eduard Shevardnadze and other officials. Protesters declared that if the president guaranteed they would receive the promised funds within a month, they would end the strike. It is unclear from the press how long the hunger strike continued.

“The constant poverty, delays in financial assistance, unbearable living conditions—it is truly a daily, merciless struggle for survival, yet this surprises no one in today’s Georgia,” wrote the newspaper 7 Dge when covering the hunger strike. The paper went on: “With presidential elections only days away, Jemal insists the protest has nothing to do with the vote, but many suspect that the action was organized by forces trying to create instability on April 9.”

The report also noted that while victims of the April 9, 1989 tragedy were still awaiting social assistance, and at a time when the country was mourning the funeral of fallen partisan Mamuka Antia in Sokhumi, the demand for one million lari seemed ill-timed. However, the journalist concluded that finding the funds could have been a constructive solution—“and would have earned the president additional points just before the election.”