UNHCR seeks protection for those displaced by Nagorno-Karabakh confl..
News Stories, 11 April 2016
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(c) UNHCR/R. Redmond
IDPs from the previous conflict in Nagorno Karabakh in the rural settlement near Agdjabedi
GENEVA, April 11 (UNHCR) - The recent fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region displaced several hundreds of people, mostly women, children and older people, and UNHCR is calling on all parties to ensure their rights are respected and protected.
A fragile truce has been in place in Nagorno-Karabakh since fighting earlier this month in the region, which is claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia. A separatist war that ended in 1994, when a ceasefire came into effect, left more than 1 million people displaced while hundreds of thousands
are still waiting for solutions to their plight.
UNHCR is alarmed at the renewal of conflict, which left dozens of people dead and has again resulted in displacement of civilians, some of whom have told UNHCR that they have been displaced several times over the last two decades.
Affected populations have fled to areas within Nagorno-Karabakh as well as into Armenia and to safer locations inside Azerbaijan. Access to the affected populations is severely limited, making it impossible to make an accurate assessment of the number of forcibly displaced, but the refugee
agency has been monitoring the displacement as best it can and has identified vulnerable groups.
UNHCR has received disturbing reports of civilian casualties, destruction of housing and infrastructure, as well as limitations on the freedom of movement of those seeking to escape from the conflict zone. Hundreds of people were displaced and thousands affected. UNHCR is urging all sides to
respect the rights of people to flee to safety and to receive protection.
The agency has offered to help the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan respond to the humanitarian needs of the newly displaced and has asked for access to this vulnerable population. UNHCR has since 1992 been assisting and working with people displaced by the earlier conflict.