More than 100,000 people flee Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan seizes region

Background

On September 30, 2023, Armenia reported that over 100,000 people have fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region. This means that nearly the entire population of the ethnic Armenian enclave has left since Azerbaijan seized control of the region last week.

Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized as part of Azerbaijan, had been governed by ethnic Armenians for three decades and received support from Armenia and Russia. However, Azerbaijan aims to reintegrate the area and treat its residents as equals, a claim disputed by an Armenian spokesman.

In the conflict, at least 200 ethnic Armenians and several Azerbaijani soldiers lost their lives. As part of a ceasefire agreement, separatists have agreed to surrender their weapons. The leader of the self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has announced that it will cease to exist in the coming year.

Refugee Crisis

The number of refugees entering Armenia over the past week has reached 100,417, from an estimated population of 120,000 in Nagorno-Karabakh. The situation has prompted the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to express concern and call for immediate assistance to those fleeing, as many are hungry and exhausted.

Artak Beglaryan, a former Armenian separatist official, has reported that the remaining residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, mainly officials, emergency services employees, volunteers, and persons with special needs, are on their way to Armenia.

Humanitarian Assessment

The United Nations plans to send a mission to Nagorno-Karabakh to assess the humanitarian situation, following Azerbaijan’s agreement to such a visit. Armenia’s ambassador-at-large, Edmon Marukyan, has criticized the timing of the visit but stressed the importance of UN officials witnessing the hardships endured by ethnic Armenians.

AI legalese decoder can play a crucial role in this situation by assisting in the interpretation and analysis of legal documents, cease-fire agreements, and international humanitarian law. Its advanced language processing capabilities can quickly extract and summarize key information, facilitating the understanding of complex legal terminology and ensuring effective communication among stakeholders. This can contribute to a more efficient and informed response to the crisis, helping to protect the rights and well-being of the affected population.