Over 100,000 Refugees Flee to Armenia Amid Nagorno-Karabakh Unrest; Humanitarian Crisis Looms

Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, expressed grave concern about the refugees’ plight, stating on social media late on Friday that “many are hungry, exhausted and need immediate assistance.” He emphasized the urgent need for international support to address this humanitarian crisis.

In response to the growing crisis, Italy revealed that Armenia has approached the European Union seeking temporary shelters and medical supplies to aid in assisting the refugees.

Freelance journalist Siranush Sargsyan, who has been reporting on the flight of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, described the scene of thousands of people stranded on a mountain highway en route to Armenia. These individuals have packed their belongings into cars, trucks, and tractors as they seek refuge. Sargsyan reported that many among them are in urgent need of medical attention and stated, “As you can see, we are still stuck on the road. This exodus is already unbearable physically because we have already spent 16 hours on this road… It seems in the next 24 hours we still won’t be able to reach the border.”

The mass exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh commenced after a rapid Azerbaijani offensive led to the region’s return under Azerbaijani control. Many of Nagorno-Karabakh’s 120,000 Armenian residents expressed fears of persecution and ethnic cleansing, despite Azerbaijan’s assurances of safety.

Nagorno-Karabakh, though internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has a population predominantly consisting of Armenian Christians. It declared itself the self-styled Republic of Artsakh three decades ago following a violent ethnic conflict during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

One refugee vowed determination to return home eventually, stating, “The world should not believe that we are willingly leaving Artsakh, ever. We fought till the very end, with our blood, with our lives to protect our country.”

Amidst the refugee crisis, Azerbaijan reported the death of one of its servicemen due to sniper fire allegedly from Armenian forces in the border district of Kalbajar. Armenia has denied any involvement in the incident.