After Azerbaijan’s blitzkrieg, the UN humanitarian mission to Nagorno-Karabakh was able to show images of the enclave emptied of its Armenian citizens.
A ghost town: In images shot by the Al-Jazeera channel, the only media outlet to penetrate the now-deserted city of Stefanakert, we see the city center completely empty of its inhabitants. There was not a soul in the central square, only a few cars with open doors seemed to be waiting for their owners. On the floor, things are spread: chairs, papers, strollers.
The channel’s special correspondent said: “Here, if I’m quiet, you’ll hear nothing, there’s no one except a few old or crippled people who can’t get out.“Only a few dogs roam around among all the belongings left behind by people who fled the scene.
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The amazing pictures show that people fled very quickly, leaving behind everything such as prams, diapers, toys, abandoned in this square. A few days ago, thousands were seen in the same place. People gather. The city of Stepanakert, at the entrance to the famous Lachine corridor leading to Armenia, had a population of 51,000: today, only civil servants, emergency workers and people with special needs decide to stay there.
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The impressive images are a direct result of the spectacular dissolution of the separatist republic that ruled the region. The UN announced this weekend that it would send a mission to mainly assess humanitarian needs, although the organization does not have access to the region. “For about 30 years”. 100,000 refugees – out of a population of 120,000 Armenians – fled the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in fear of the Azerbaijani authorities.
In Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s main city, there are still a few temporarily: hundreds of civil servants, hospital emergency workers, people with special needs. But the head of the region: the latter said that he would stay until relief operations for the victims were completed. .
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The enclave is now under the control of Azerbaijani forces. A “Migration” service has been set up to register and confirm the remaining citizens.Their lasting reintegration into Azerbaijani society“But mass flight was almost inevitable: despite promises from Azerbaijan, the Armenian population had been living in fear for weeks, denying any accusations. “Genocide” It assures residents of the region and shelter that they are free to leave or stay. But all weekend, Baku made a series of illegal arrests in the enclave, reinforcing the refugees’ fears.
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