Photo credit: PBS
The Nagomo-Karabakh people continued being ethnically cleansed in Azerbaijan.
Mercator reports that it has left over 100,000 people being displaced and forced to struggle as refugees in Armenia, where they face upheaval, homelessness, and unemployment.
The place is a landlocked region in the South Caucus that has been at the centre of a protracted conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for years.
The reasons for the dispute are tensions between ethnic and regional groups. Armenians are Christian, while Azerbaijan are Muslim. There are also historical grievances dating back to the early 20th century.
In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence and formed the Republic of Artsakh. The declaration caused the first Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenia won the war and about 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s territory. Since Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia stepped in and brokered a peace agreement giving de facto independence to Nagorno-Karabakh which maintained closed relations with Armenia.
However, sporadic tensions continued and later became a full-scale war in 2020. It ended with Azerbaijan regaining significant territories in 2023.
In September, over 200 Armenians and Azerbaijan soldiers were killed as the Azerbaijan army moved to clear the area. Over 100,000 Armenians were driven out of Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan forces seized the region. Since the number represents nearly 100 per cent of the Armenians and almost all the Christians in Azerbaijan, it has been described as ethnic cleansing.
For those fleeing the conflict, the suffering began immediately after they got into their cars. They were forced to give up homes, possession and community and their children had to leave their schools, The refugees became trapped in a line of cars trying to reach the border which sometimes took up to 24 hours. Some families reported the survey taking up to three days before reaching a small town on the Armenian side of the border.
Some refugees have strained resources especially sinceba quarter of the population is already living below the poverty line, it is difficult for me government to continue providing for them.
