From the BBC:
“Nagorno-Karabakh: Almost 30,000 refugees have fled to
Armenia”
Nearly 30,000 ethnic Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh - a
quarter of the population of the enclave which Azerbaijan seized last week. Hundreds
of cars are backed up on the one road leading into Armenia, the destination of
those leaving. Azerbaijan says residents will be safe, but Armenia's prime
minister says "ethnic cleansing" has started. Nagorno-Karabakh -
recognised as part of Azerbaijan - had been run by ethnic Armenians for three
decades. The mountainous region in the South Caucasus has been supported by
Armenia - but also by its ally, Russia.
At least 200 ethnic Armenians and dozens of Azerbaijani
soldiers were killed as Azerbaijan's army swept in. As part of a ceasefire
deal, separatists have agreed to surrender their weapons. The Azeris have said
they want to treat ethnic Armenians as "equal citizens" but a limited
amount of aid has been allowed through and many residents are fleeing. On
Monday, a massive fuel blast killed at least 68 people attempting to leave. Nearly
300 more were injured and 105 are missing. It is not yet clear what caused the
explosion on Monday evening near the main city of Khankendi, known as
Stepanakert by Armenians, but many were refilling their cars.
As they crossed the border on Tuesday, thousands of ethnic
Armenians were subject to rigorous checks from Azerbaijani border control. Azerbaijani
authorities claimed to be looking for "war crimes" suspects, and one
government source told Agence France Presse news agency that the country
intended to apply an "amnesty to Armenian fighters who laid down their
arms in Karabakh". "But those who committed war crimes during the
Karabakh wars must be handed over to us," they said. Hundreds of cars and
buses are trying to reach the town of Goris across the border.
(Malina says she and her grandchildren fled to seek safety)
A BBC team saw families crammed into cars, boots overflowing
and roof-racks piled high with belongings. Convinced they are leaving their
homes for good, people are squeezing as much of their lives as possible into
their vehicles. Inside Goris, a small town that is the same dusty brown as the
jagged mountains that surround it, the narrow streets are filled with more cars
and more families. One has arrived in a car held together with little more than
sticking tape, its side badly dented and dotted with shrapnel holes, and
windows smashed. The owner tells the BBC it was hit by mortar fire when
Azerbaijan launched a lightning assault to take control of the region last
week. "But it still got us here," he smiles, surrounded by small
children.
On the main town square, people mill around, unsure what to
do next. Volunteers hand out some basic food and blankets. Evacuees are
registered and there is the occasional bus to move people on to another town or
village. But few seem to have a plan, beyond getting this far. For two days
last week, Malina and her family all huddled in their cellar as their village
was under fire. After the Karabakh forces surrendered, Malina says the local
authorities told everyone to leave for Armenia, for safety. Their village in
the Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh is now empty. Malina says her family
left because - whatever the assurances - they would not feel safe under Azerbaijani
rule. That sentiment is echoed by many others watching the situation unfold.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of state Antony Blinken urged
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev to provide "unconditional protections
and freedom of movement for civilians", and called for "unhindered
humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh". UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres also called for both sides to respect human rights. So far, only one
aid delivery of 70 tonnes of food has been allowed through since separatists
accepted a ceasefire and agreed to disarm. Azerbaijan announced that another
aid convoy, with 40 tonnes of flour and badly-needed hygiene products, was on
its way to the enclave.
Ethnic Armenian leaders say thousands are without food or
shelter and sleeping in basements, school buildings or outside. The Armenian
health ministry said it was sending helicopters to evacuate patients from the
region's strained hospitals. Azerbaijan also said it had sent medical supplies.
On Tuesday, envoys from Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Brussels for European
Union-backed talks. It was the first time diplomatic negotiations have been
held between the two countries since Azerbaijan seized the enclave last week. Azerbaijan
has also started separate negotiations with Karabakh's ethnic Armenian
authorities about the region's future.
^ 30,000 Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh after it was
completely occupied by Azerbaijan on September 23, 2023.
It is believed that all 120,000 Armenians from
Nagorno-Karabakh plan on fleeing to Armenia because Azerbaijan wants to
ethnically cleanse the territory and make it 100% Azeri (as they did the rest
of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.)
Right now the Azeris aren’t letting the EU, the UN or any
International Group in to Nagorno-Karabakh to make sure there are no Human
Rights abuses and the Armenians fleeing to Armenia have to pass many Azeri
Military Checkpoints(where they and their belongings are searched and the
people questioned) going through the Lachin Corridor to Armenia
The Azeri President is even consulting with the Turkish
President (who went to Azerbaijan) about invading the main part of Armenia - along the border with Iran - to ethnically-cleanse
the Armenians living there and make a permanent land connection between the
main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.
There have been 1,920 Russian Peacekeepers in
Nagorno-Karabakh since the last fighting in 2020 and of course we all know have
poorly trained, poorly equipped and poorly motivated the Russians are at
fighting so the Azeris took advantage of that and attacked Nagorno-Karabakh in
September 2023.
The Russians did nothing even when the Azeris killed 5
Russian Peacekeepers – that’s how much Russia values a Russian Life.
Armenians have lived in Nagorno-Karabakh since the 7th
Century and there are many Ancient Christian Churches and Monasteries there –
most of which have been or are being destroyed or ruined by the Azeris.
The crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is not on the news and most people
have never even heard of it. Sadly, World Governments are also placing a
blind-eye to what is going on there and the suffering and death of innocent
Men, Women and Children. ^
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