After the conquest of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus by Azerbaijan, thousands of the Karabakh Armenians living there have already fled. The government in Yerevan said that 2,906 refugees had been registered in Armenia by early morning. On Sunday evening there was still talk of around 1,000 people.
The accommodation of the refugees is ongoing. Currently, around 1,100 have been taken to emergency accommodation by the government, and another 1,000 have found somewhere else to stay. The needs of the remaining people are currently being assessed, it said.
After brief, violent attacks by the Azerbaijani military last week, the defenders of the internationally unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh had to lay down their arms last week. Azerbaijan wants to reintegrate the area. The Karabakh Armenians fear expulsion or revenge from authoritarian Azerbaijan after decades of conflict.
According to media reports, many refugees from other regions of Nagorno-Karabakh are crowding into the regional capital Stepanakert after the attacks. This exacerbates the already catastrophic humanitarian situation on site. After Azerbaijan’s months-long blockade of the region, food and medicine are lacking.
