2023-09-29 16:30:00
Photo: AFP.
More than two-thirds of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled the region, 30% of them minorsafter Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive last week that allowed it to regain control of the territory and raised fears of “ethnic cleansing.”
The Government of Armenia reported the arrival of some 88,700 displaced people from the enclave, that is, just over two-thirds of the country’s population of 120,000 inhabitants.
30% of these refugees are childrenmany of them separated from their families, a representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) highlighted at a press conference.
“We are providing them with psychosocial support, and we are working to ensure that they can be reunited with their families,” stressed the organization’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Regina De Dominicis.
In their escape from Azerbaijani troops along the only road that connects this enclave with the republic of Armenia, the refugees took a warehouse on Monday to provide themselves with fuel
In his escape from the Azerbaijani troops along the only road that connects this enclave with the republic of Armenia, The refugees took over a warehouse on Monday to provide themselves with fuel.
An explosion caused at least 170 deaths, according to a balance sheet communicated by the authorities of the mountainous enclave, a drastic increase from the last official figure of 68 dead and a hundred missing.
“To date, the remains of 170 people have been found,” which were “delivered to the forensic office,” indicated those responsible for the republic, without international recognition and known to Armenians as Artsakh, which will be dissolved starting next year. January 1st.
The president of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonian, warned that the Azerbaijani authorities “continue to carry out ethnic cleansing at this time”
The president of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonian, warned that Azerbaijani authorities “continue to carry out ethnic cleansing at this time”according to statements reproduced by the state news agency, Armenpress.
“Tens of thousands of people are leaving their homes and this is happening in the 21st century, in front of the whole world. It is something truly evil,” he said, according to what the Europa Press news agency reported.
The Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinian, had already stated on Sunday about the possibility of “ethnic cleansing” against the population of Nagorno Karabakh, although the Azerbaijani authorities expressed their intention for these people to remain in their homes and promised to respect their rights. .
Photo: AFP.
The mountainous region is within Azerbaijan’s international borders, but the inhabitants seceded during the years of disintegration of the Soviet Unionand since then they were faced with the Azerbaijani power, with which they fought two wars with the support of neighboring Armenia.
After the first of them, which was fought from 1988 to 1994 and left some 30,000 dead, the Armenians took de facto control of the region and established their republic there, without international recognition.
In the second war, in 2020, which left about 6,500 deadAzerbaijan recovered areas of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories that the Armenians had conquered in the previous conflict.
Last week, Azerbaijan launched a lightning military offensive that left about 200 soldiers dead on both sides.
Tens of thousands of Armenians fled Azerbaijani troops, fearing repression, through the Lachin corridor
This incursion forced the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to capitulate within 24 hours, without the intervention of Russian peacekeeping soldiers, deployed in the area since the end of 2020.
Since then, Armenian representatives from Nagorno Karabakh and the Azerbaijani government held two rounds of talks on the territory’s reintegration into Azerbaijan. Armenians are Christians, while Azerbaijan is a Muslim country.
Despite this dialogue, tens of thousands of Armenians fled from Azerbaijani troopsfor fear of repression, through the Lachin corridor, the only road that connects Nagorno Karabakh with the republic of Armenia.
According to the Armenian authorities, the fear of the inhabitants of the enclave was fueled by “illegal detentions” among the columns of fleeing civilians.
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