The deployment of a UN humanitarian mission to Nagorno-Karabakh made it possible to show images of the enclave liberated from its Armenian residents after Azerbaijan’s lightning offensive.
A ghost town: In the images from the Al-Jazeera channel, the only media that has penetrated the now deserted city of Stepanakert, we see the city center completely emptied of its residents. Not a soul in the central square, a few cars with open doors that seem to be waiting for their owners. Things are spread out on the floor: chairs, papers, strollers.
The station’s special correspondent says: “If I stay silent here, you won’t hear anything. There is no one left, except for a few elderly or disabled people who could not walk.” There are only a few dogs among all the belongings that the refugee population left behind.
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Impressive images that prove that the residents fled extremely quickly, leaving everything behind, including the numerous strollers left behind in this square, the packs of diapers, the toys… Just a few days ago we could see thousands of people gathering in the same place. The city of Stepanakert, at the entrance to the famous Lachine corridor leading to Armenia, had 51,000 inhabitants: today only officials, rescue workers and people with special needs have chosen to stay there.
Azerbaijan rejects allegations of “ethnic cleansing”.
These stunning images are the direct result of the spectacular dissolution of the self-proclaimed separatist republic that governed the region. The UN said it would send a mission this weekend to primarily assess humanitarian needs, although the organization has not had access to the region for “around 30 years.” 100,000 refugees – out of the 120,000 Armenian population – fled the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave out of fear of the Azerbaijani authorities.
In the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, a few people are still temporarily there: hundreds of officials, rescue workers in the hospital, people with special needs. But also the head of the region: He said he would stay until the end of the relief efforts for the victims. .
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The enclave is now under the control of Azerbaijani forces. To the remaining residents and ensure “their permanent reintegration into Azerbaijani society,” a “migration service” was established. But the massive exodus was almost inevitable: Armenian residents had been living in fear for several weeks, despite promises from Azerbaijan, which rejects any accusations of “ethnic cleansing” in the region and reassured the enclave’s residents that they are free to leave or stay. But throughout the weekend, Baku carried out a series of illegal arrests in the enclave, heightening refugees’ fears.