AFPThe Red Cross crosses the border into Nagorno-Karabakh
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:22
The last ethnic Armenians have left Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia reports. The Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan has now been largely abandoned.
About 120,000 ethnic Armenians lived in Nagorno-Karabakh. More than 100,000 of them have fled to Armenia, according to the Armenian government, since Azerbaijan took control of the region more than a week and a half ago after a 24-hour war.
The images below show that there are hardly any cars left in the capital Stepanakert.
Reuters
Images from the capital Stepanakert before the takeover
Reuters
Images from the capital Stepanakert after the takeover
There are only a few hundred people left in the capital Stepanakert, the Red Cross reports. About 55,000 ethnic Armenians previously lived in the city. Hospitals are no longer functioning and medical staff have left, the aid organization reports. The director of the mortuary is also gone. The Red Cross team leader speaks of “a surreal situation”.
The remaining residents are often the elderly, sick and people with disabilities. Red Cross employees try to track down stragglers with megaphones.
There is also hardly any traffic visible in the images below from the capital.
Reuters
Images from the capital Stepanakert before the takeover
Reuters
Images from the capital Stepanakert after the takeover
Most residents have fled for fear of ethnic cleansing. According to Azerbaijan, this is not necessary. The country says it wants to integrate Nagorno-Karabakh peacefully, but this is not believed due to its violent history.
The Nagorno-Karabakh enclave formally belongs to Azerbaijan, but was mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians who had a separatist self-government there.
According to Azerbaijan, four separatist leaders from that administration have been arrested. These are two former presidents of the Armenian enclave, Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, who was president when Azerbaijan took control. The chairman of the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh is also said to have been arrested.
Three other former leaders, including two ministers and the head of the security service, have crossed the border safely, Armenia reports.
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